Cross Reality
by Nako13yeh
Summary: After the Avengers movie. Thor and Loki were ready to depart when the tesseract goes haywire and opens a portal. Another Loki emerges from the portal, claiming that his name is 'Tom' chaos strikes as they meet face to face. What about the others? What do they think will happen? RE-POSTED. ALL CHARACTERS are fictional, all similarities are purely coincidental.
1. Chapter 1 - Counterparts

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the avengers characters, but I do own my other world characters!** ALL CHARACTERS ARE Fictional! Any similarity to any person living or dead, is purely coincidental**

* * *

**oOo**

He could hear footsteps coming near him, slowly he felt himself rise with two strong grips on his shoulder. He couldn't move and could barely even talk, let alone know what was happening around him. Someone had seated him upright and had cuffed his hands to the seat.

_"What's going on? Where am I?"_

He could see his hands were covered in bandages. He was _treated_? Was he _drugged_ as well? Probably not. Though, he could feel the pain in his body and it wasn't receding. Whatever happened that time from where he was at, he was treated. He wasn't even drugged to treat the pain. He was in a position where he couldn't complain, even when he wanted to.

What the hell happened to him?

He was still disoriented, not sure whether things were still what they used to be. He opened his eyes and the light struck, he was forced to shut them tightly to avoid the blinding and irritating light.

_"Where am I? How did I get here?"_

He opened his eyes again, adjusting to the light. The room was small, all metal, there was a table in front of him and a chair opposite him. Pain surged through his body as he hissed in pain. Why was he here again? Last thing he remembered was waiting in the hotel for an interview.

But now, he was somewhere he didn't know.

He reacted as he raised his arms only to be stopped by a clanking noise. He looked down at his hands, he was handcuffed. Oh, yeah, he forgot about that. He took a deep breath and thought.

Did he do something _wrong_?

His thoughts were interrupted when someone entered the room. He shook silently, fearing for what was coming. Worried that he might cause more trouble than he was already in. He stared at the man in front of him, he was wearing a good suit. He had a communicator in his ear and was holding a file and a phone.

That was his, wasn't it? And a key?

That was his too.

The man sat in front of him, placed the things on the table as he eyed him wearily. Then the man reached for his earpiece and nodded, hearing some kind of communication behind the other line. The look on the mans face spelled horror, he was terrified of something but was strong enough not to show too much of it.

He acted as he should.

He could tell, the man was _unease_.

The man coughed and straightened himself, he almost looked like he was prepared for battle. Though, he did not. He was about to question him, he wasn't sure if he could answer the man's question though. The headache he was feeling was beginning to become unbearable.

If only the man knew this. Though, even with the pain, he tried to make the best of things. It was nerve-wracking enough to wake up somewhere you don't know, he didn't need to endure more problems.

What could the police want with him?

He wondered what the hell it was that he did wrong to end up this way. He felt beaten, badly. He felt weak and in pain. Did he get in a fight? Or was he robbed or something? Why couldn't he remember anything?

"Sir." The man said, ramming his thoughts.

"..." He lifted his head.

_Silence was their issue here._

"I'm going to ask you a few questions." The man continued.

_"Questions?"_ He thought, but let go immediately after feeling his head throb again. He nodded, hoping to let it be done with. The man was a bit shocked at his reaction. He wondered why? He inwardly shook his head. Never mind. Whatever it was to get him in this kind of trouble, was something he needed to know.

"Sir." He could barely focus on the man's words. "We'll start of with something easy. What's your name?"

He took a deep breath. "T-tom..."

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." The man wondered, a little shaken.

"My name is T-tom..." He stuttered a little, pain running through his systems. "Tom Hiddles."

* * *

**oOo**

(A few hours earlier)

The Avengers had assembled in one spot to see off one of their teammate. It was the God of Thunder and his brother, Loki, who was now gagged and magically handcuffed to prevent any more chaos. The battle of Mischief was over, they had saved the planet from being invaded by _'aliens.' _

Everyone of the avengers were there, Tony Stark with his fashionable car and his suit inside the briefcase. Natasha at the side with her gun tucked in her jeans. Bruce right behind Tony. Clint standing beside Natasha. Steve watched as he eyed Loki, who was pissed off at the moment. Thor held his hammer and the tesseract on the other hand.

"See yah, big guy." Tony smiled, still wearing his sunglasses. "Be sure to send me a postcard. On second thought, make that a souvenir, that would be awesome!"

"You'll come back, right?" Natasha wondered.

"Someday perhaps, but I must fix things back in Asgard!" Thor concluded and looked at Loki, who didn't seem to care. "I hope that father will not be too disappointed at what Loki has become."

"Just keep Loki in line." Steve muttered. "See you soon, Thor."

"Like that would be a problem." Clint nudged 'Cap's' ribs. "Dude's gagged and cuffed. He'll be gone to Asgard prison before you know it."

"Bye, Thor." Banner smiled at the sidelines.

"Farewell my friends, though tis' not a real farewell. There are more battles to come." Thor raised the cylinder as Loki grabbed the other end. "I shall see you soon, tell Jane I shall return."

_"Foolish brother."_ Loki thought. _"This is your fault."_

If only looks could _kill_.

"Sure thing." Tony crossed his arms. "Just make sure 'God of Mischief' here will behave. And please, Thor, more battles? Let's just hope they won't be as destructive as the last one."

"Tony." Steve wanted to protest but Loki seemed eager to leave.

He twisted the device and they all waited for something to happen. Although, none did. Confused, they still waited for the right moment but it didn't come. It caused them all to blink.

Even Loki was unsure, his eyes begin to focus on the tesseract inside the cylinder. Tony wanted to protest but something had caught their attention, the cube inside began to flicker on and off.

"Is that suppose to happen?" Clint asked, which was stating the obvious.

"Is something wrong, friends?" Thor blinked, not sure whether he understood or not.

Natasha was ready to pull out her gun. "It's flickering." She said. "Should it be doing that?"

Bruce cupped his chin, a little worried. "That's not normal, is it?"

He turned to the other guys who knew just as much as he did about things like these. Erik was also confused about this and moved away from them. Unsure if he should interact.

A moment of silence ensued them.

Tony eyed the tesseract. "No, guess not."

He said, turning to Steve. "Hey Cap, better call in Fury?"

"Yeah, do that." Steve eyed Thor. "Let go of it, We're not sure what's going on."

"Brother, we are told to let go!" Thor shouted at Loki who didn't seem to be responding. "What is wrong with my brother? You are not ill, are you? Loki? Let go, brother!"

Tony had called in Fury but almost dropped his phone when he saw the way Loki was.

"What's going on?" Nobody answered him.

Loki's eyes were glowing green and his hand was still holding the end of the cylinder. He seemed distant. The tesseract flicked again and the glow became wider and wider.

"Brother!" Thor let go of the tesseract as his hand shook.

It was cold, freezing himself as he felt a burning sensation near his heart. He could no longer hold it. He eyed his brother one last time, worrying never lost its way out of his eyes.

"Thor, you better tell your _brother_ to let go!" Clint bit his lips. "I think that things gonna _blow_!"

Too late.

The tesseract glowed bright blue and it almost blinded them. They closed their eyes as the light tried to seep through. Loki had let go of the tesseract and was thrown feets away from them. Thor shouted but stopped when the tesseract went bright again. A circular portal appeared right where they were standing. They were too baffled to help Loki who appeared to be unconscious on the ground, feet away from them.

"Damn it, where the hell is Fury?" Tony moved backwards to shield himself from whatever was to come.

"Hey, Cap. Do we need to suit up or what?" He wondered out loud. "That portal there seems like the same one from where that invasion came from, so give an order! I don't want to be the hero that goes solo again in outer space! That wasn't very pleasant last time, Cap!"

"I'm..." Steve seemed lost for words. "I'm not sure either, just be ready with whatever comes out."

"That's your plan?" Clint snorted as Banner threw him his bow and arrow from Tony's car. He released it and pointed at the portal. "Do you have a better idea?"

"No not really." Steve mumbled. "What do you think will come out of there?"

"Not sure." Banner muttered. "Careful, we' don't know what the tesseract is reacting to."

Thor was swinging his hammer. "This is my brother's doing, is it not?"

"We're not sure about that yet, big guy." Tony walked to his car and waited.

"Tony Stark, do you wish to explain then."

No use giving the god a _simple_ answer.

"If you want to know, Thor, judging from the _glowing green eyes_ your brother just did, he may have dome something to make the tesseract react that way. It's that or the tesseract is unstable. We can't tell that yet, unless I can get to probing the damn thing for answers. You know how I like to probe."

Before anyone can make a sad excuse of a retort, the portal exploded and threw a person to the ground. The smoke cleared and they all coughed as they walked towards the man. They all gasped upon seeing the uncanny resemblance to the trickster.

Thor bravely knelt down to see if the man was alive. He was breathing and had minor injuries, a few scrapes and bruises but he seemed fine.

"Is it just me, or does he look just like Loki?" Tony wondered. "Only more, human?"

"I sense no magic in him." Thor stood up and eyes his friends. "It is not trickery, he had come from the tesseract himself. Perhaps my brother knows. This man, is nothing more than a mere mortal."

"Ouch! Talk about being a mortal." Everyone ignored Tony.

The man was lying, unconscious, on his back. He had brownish golden curly hair. He was wearing a tight jacket and pants, grey shirt as well as boots with his pants tucked inside. He seemed harmless and in need of medical attention. So did Loki, who got himself _bruised_ from the tesseract's explosion earlier.

The man moaned in pain. "Uhh..."

"Where's Fury? He should have been here by now." Steve questioned as he tried to pick up Loki's look-alike. Clint came to help him, supporting the man on the other side.

Tony and Banner were looking at the tesseract.

"Beats me. He probably got a signal of power, better yet, he probably saw the whole thing himself via satellite? Fury's never one to come at the most amazing of moments, when it comes to saving the world."

"He better get here quick." Natasha whispered. "Loki's chains are fried, so's the gag."

"At least he's _unconscious_ just like the other one." Banner said as he helped Tony.

"My brother is powerless now." The god spoke as he aided Loki. "He is asleep and is drained of his magic. He cannot fight us."

"That's good to know, I don't want to get thrown out of another window." Tony scoffed. "That's for sure- Alright- We're just waiting for Fury now. God knows why he's late."

Thor picked Loki up by the waist and hoisted him up, supporting him from the shoulder. They all needed answers and none of them were sure what happened exactly but they knew it was bad. Having one Loki was enough, having two was something they never wanted to think about.

Finally the helicarrier hovered above them. At least Fury came. They were in deep trouble for what just happened. Now all they needed to do was explain.

Tony took a second glance at Loki's look-alike. He looked the same but he had that more peaceful, happy vibe than that ridiculous killer intent the real Loki had. He had hoped that what he was thinking was true. He just needed a little proof when the guy would wake up.

He just hoped Fury would go easy on him. But knowing Fury, _nothing_ was easy.

* * *

**oOo**

He flew both Loki's into the helicarrier and immediately placed the real Loki into a holding cell. The other one was cuffed to the bed in the medical bay. Wounds were being treated and he was being monitored by one of Stark's machines. Fury ordered everything the Loki-look alike had, to be taken away.

That included his cell phone and keys, for a hotel, maybe?

The Avengers assembled in the meeting room and everyone sat. Natasha and Clint sat to the right. Banner and Tony were next and then Thor and Steve. Fury was standing up, looking a bit worried. The tension in the room was wild, even Tony had considered keeping kept quiet.

"Tell me again how this happened." Fury cupped his chin and turned to his team.

"What do you think happened?" Tony sarcastically rolled his eyes. "Apparently the guy we found is not from here, did you guys ever think of Loki having a twin? If he had a twin that would make an excellent explanation to why they look alike-"

"Tony." Steve muttered. "No time for jokes. We've had enough of our fill with problems like these."

"Just lighting things up for a new topic, Cap."

"No, Loki does not have one." Thor retorted and batted an eyebrow. "I would have known and he does not feel the same way as my brother feels. He is different. Less powerful. Like I had said, he is mortal."

"Judging from the portal, What do you think could have gone wrong with the tesseract?" Banner adjusted himself on the seat.

Fury turned to him, "A number of things, Dr." he said as he walked behind Tony.

"We've looked into the tesseract before." Banner sighed. " And we didn't even activate it. We can only assume it was activated by Loki, which could be why we have a double just like him. He's from where that portal came from. A possible alternate timeline?"

"True." Tony mumbled. "But still, that doesn't explain what he's doing here. Even Loki's shocked from what happened and we can't get answers as long as he's still unconscious. And, no, no torture. That's just wrong! Don't give me that look, Fury. I speak from experience."

"What do you suggest, Stark?" Fury growled, running out of options. "I can't have another loose canon wrecking the city. It's either we get answers and send him back or you fight him off. Which is a hell lot harder than the first one."

"We're not even sure if he's evil or not." Natasha interfered. "I mean, Thor said he was mortal."

"He's human." Clint mumbled in agreement. "So he can't really put up a fight against one of us. Given how injured he is."

"Interrogate him then." Thor suggested. "If none wish to torture him, then result to questioning him. Perhaps he will answer them truthfully."

"And what if he starts lying to us?" Steve messed with his hair. "It's bad enough Loki can somewhat manipulate people with words, what more if he does the same to us? And who's going to interrogate him, I'm not."

"Not me." Clint raised his foot on the table which Natasha easily swatted off and said, "Not me either."

"Perhaps I will." Thor suggested. "He has a resemblance that is great to my brothers!"

"Make Green Bean here do it." Tony pointed at Banner.

"No, I'm not good at that."

"QUIET!" Fury shouted, causing a moment of sheer uncomfortable silence.

"Good one, Fury." Tony tapped the table.

"Shut up, Stark, or I'll make you do it."

Fury opened a hologram screen to Loki's cell and the look-alike's cell. Loki was in a newer version of the holding cell they held him in the first time. This time, it was magic proof and completely sealed shut. There was a comfy couch at the side which they lay him on. He was asleep, wounds healing abnormally fast despite the lack of magic.

On the other screen, the man was in the medical bay, oxygen strapped to his mouth, arms bandaged and wrists cuffed to the bed. He was sleeping as well, but the medical team predicted that he'd soon wake up.

"I'll have someone else interrogate him. For now, we all provide the questions. First of all is his name, if we can tap into that then we'll get more answers. We just have to make sure we don't go to a dead end where he'll suspect something and close down."

"He has a cell phone right?" Tony wondered. "Have you tapped into that?"

"Yes, and as far as we've got, all our faces were in that phone." Fury pressed a few things on the table and their pictures appeared.

"That's creepy." Clint bit his lips. "I don't look like that, do I?"

"What's with the names?" Natasha wondered as they all went to see the names at the side. Phone numbers were also there. "Sharlotte? Is that my name in that alternate timeline you said, Dr. Banner?"

"It's possible we have a different life." Banner muttered. "We can't be sure until we question him."

"There is such a thing as alternate timelines." Thor stood up, fiddling with his hammer. "I've heard stories that certain powerful things can manipulate timelines. If Asgard exists and so does other realms, their world might be no different."

"Huh?" Tony messed with his beard."I just understood what you said."

"That still doesn't explain things clearly." Steve wondered.

"It will in time, Steve." Tony went to his phone and downloaded the names for JARVIS to check. "I mean, there are still other possible theories but Thor's word may be true. So we'll hold onto that information for now."

"Do you see something funny, Mr. Stark?" Natasha frowned as Tony began to snicker in the sidelines.

"So my name is Rob Devan? I'm a Devan?"

"You do look like one." Clint smirked.

"Shut up Barton." Tony glared at the pictures. "How did he get the name Devan?"

Tony didn't need reminders of his past and it sure sounded like something from his childhood coming to haunt him. Fury looked pissed at the moment, not sure how to apprehend the situation and he didn't seem to care. It was exciting to actually tackle _'Alternate Universes'_ and curiosity was getting the best of him.

"Know what, nobody answer that." Tony bit his lips and pointed.

"So there's a Sharlotte and me, there's you Barton, named Jeremiah Rhod, someone with the name Evans C. and Chris Worth and a Russo also a Sammy Jayson. Cool, got to say they pick out nice names for babies."

"Or it's just a joke." Clint disagreed. "Loki could have made it up. But if you want to stick to alternate universes then be my guest."

"Hey, Fury, give me the phone later so I can tap it to JARVIS." Tony sat back. "Maybe the signal on the internet on that other world is still intact and I can get a better connection to it. Maybe find out more information about our alternate selves. Which will be so awesome to learn, what the difference is-"

"Later, Stark. Our guest is waking up." Fury raised a finger to his earpiece and stared at the screen where the Loki look-alike began sitting up.

"Get him into one of the interrogation rooms and I want my best man to question him. Right now."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Director." Steve said.

* * *

**oOo**

The man blinked at him as if he was mad. Was it something he said? Should he even bother to repeat what he said? These were the police so he might as well cooperate. He waited for the man in front of him to address him again, hoping that the man might recognize him for his previous works. But all he did had done was make the man more confused than he already was.

"Sir? I'm sorry did you say..." The man wondered, a little shaken.

"My name is T-tom..." He stuttered a little, pain running through his system. "Tom Hiddles."

Does he need to repeat it again for it to be clear? The pain on his forehead was already unbearable. He was injured and wondered why he wasn't left in the hospital bed and why the questions? Couldn't they have done that in the hospital room?

If it was a hospital room.

In the other room, the Avengers were watching him. All of them focused on the screen and Fury telling the interrogator what to say. They were shocked when they heard his name, it's just the same thing they saw in the cell phone. Tom Hiddles. It's very foreign to their tongues, especially since he looks just like Loki.

"Ask him how old he is." Fury questioned.

"Are you sure that's necessary?" Steve interjected. "I mean, he is a god? Right?"

"I have said many times before, he is but a mortal." Thor crossed his arms, waiting for the right moment to get answers. "May you ask him as well if he has siblings?"

"Hold your questions, guys." Tony smirked. "I have a few of my own.

Back to in the interrogation room. Tom felt dizzy and still disoriented. Confused, is more like it. He tried his best to find his composure but to no avail.

The man hesitated. "How old are you?"

"I'm 31." Tom focused his eyes on the man. He felt a little better than before. "E-excuse me for interrupting but, what am I d-doing here, exactly? I don't even remember moving away from my hotel. And, am I a suspect? On what charges?"

The man ignored him and touched his earpiece again.

"Sorry. Can you tell us what happened or what you remember? Do you know how you got here? Before I answer some of your questions."

Tom looked confused.

"It's for information, Sir. Do you mind?" The man added.

"Uh, Yeah." Tom closed his eyes feeling the pain hit him again.

"..."

"I was waiting for one of my interviews for the movie. They wanted me to wait at the hotel in New York before I got to said interview. I was waiting and the whole ground shook and there was this bright blinding light. Then I woke up here."

"I see." The earpiece again was annoying. "For now just want to know what you can tell us. As for being held up here, we'll see what we can do. And nobody has press charges against you, yet."

"Thank goodness." He Tom bit his lip. "There's no chance of getting out of these handcuffs, is there? It's a bit painful. And I have a headache, badly."

Tony bit his lips waiting for 'Tom' to finish.

He was feeling a headache. It all seemed perfectly normal and he was sure that Thor's theory was correct and maybe they were just being paranoid for hating Loki. This 'Tom' guy, looked rather harmless. Maybe a few ups and downs could do the trick.

Tony let out a heavy sigh and poked at the director.

"Hey, Fury, think you can take the cuffs off him." Everyone stared at him as if he'd gone mad.

"What? He's in pain. Maybe it'll make him talk more- but don't you think- well- at most- he'll get suspicious as to why he doesn't seem to have any rights? I for one oppose to the decision to keep him locked up here in SHIELD forever! The hell is wrong with you people!"

"He did ask if he was being press charged." Clint mumbled.

"Yes, thank you, Barton!"

"It did seem normal and so far, it's not like he's lying. Right?" Steve did feel a similar thing to what Tony was feeling saying.

The guy was innocent, and Thor's theory of 'Alternate Universes' was just mad but it's not something to rule out. He looked very confused and it made him doubt a little whether the guy was faking or not.

"Agent." Fury called. "Take the cuffs off and tell him we'll give him pain killers when you're done. Ask him more about certain things we've discussed. Just don't mess this up or you're fired."

"Being grouchy to your agents now." Natasha crossed her arms.

The agent took off Tom's handcuffs. His wrists had red markings. Tom rubbed it them gently trying to ease the pain muttering a 'thank you'. He knew he wasn't going anywhere so might as well finish what they started. But first he had to ask something.

"Don't suspects normally get phone calls?" Tom looked at the guy agent. "A lawyer maybe? It's not so serious is it-"

"No. Not yet." The Agent interjected. "We'll get you some pain killers after out little talk. So could you still answer a few questions."

"Do you have any siblings or anyone you're close to for the matter?"

"Yes," Tom rubbed the back of his neck and ran a hand down through his curly hair. "I have two. I'm the middle child. Sorry, what does you need this information benefit for, anyway?"

"Classified. If we could continue. We found names on your phone listing people we know." He handed down a piece of paper with all the Avengers 'other' names. Tom eyed it for a second and gave the agent back the paper.

"They're my co-workers." He rubbed his temples.

"Explain."

"I work with them in the 'acting' business. They are also my friends. We've worked for a long time now, considering how successful the 'Avengers movie' was. I really don't mean to be rude but, what are these questions for? I don't think they're associated with whatever happened at the hotel."

"Classified."

Tom just sighed inwardly. What was he going to do? As far as he knew the government was kinda in on this. Because the police surely wouldn't be this secretive. He even made an inside joke that 'SHIELD' probably had him. He was probably going to being gagged too, or worse, everything was really happening and it wasn't just another fantasy dream, he created.

"R-right." Tom shook his head. "I can't leave, can't I?"

"No. you can't. You are to stay within our sight until we've figured a few things out."

"When can I leave then? When can I inform someone of my whereabouts?" Tom tapped the table.

"No, we can't have that."

"Not even my family? Or at least my manager. They can cancel a few trips that I'm due for in a few days. Just to straighten this whole mess up out."

"Sorry."

Tom pointed at the objects on the table. "Can I get my phone back at least?"

Tom felt like clawing his way out, but he was a patient man. He felt sure he could talk his way out of this without causing any harm and he was a generous person indeed. He certainly wouldn't do anything that can want to cause any harm.

"Sorry, Sir." The agent sighed as he pressed a finger to the communicator. "I'm not cut out for this."

"If nobody's going to press charges, why am I still here?" Tom kept his voice calm, even though deep inside he was already panicking, his voice becoming shakier with every syllable.

"You can't leave until we've set a few things straight. And you can't inform anyone of your whereabouts as that is also classified. And we'll be using your phone to check for a few more information. So take your time, try and relax here for a while. Excuse me, I'll be back with those pain killers you asked for."

The man left him alone in the room.

_"Where the hell am I? How did I get into this mess?" _Tom sighed but need not say more.

That guy agent sounded almost like Agent Coulson. Apparently almost all the agents were supposed to sounded like that when they needed to get things,. Tom knew it all so well as he's been working with Clark for a while now too. And he had finished with the Avengers movie already so, how come he felt like he's in it again.

But this time, he really did feel like "Loki."

So... _isolated_. And _trapped_.l

* * *

**oOo**

"Was your Agent suppose to scare the crap out of him?" Tony chewed on some gum. "Did you see the look on his face- he was- hell- god!- he was panicking just then. What do you have to say for yourself, Fury?"

"We've concluded a few things." Fury turned off the screen.

"And pray tell, what is that?"

"Stark, one more word." Fury glared. "We've all confirmed it. He's apparently human as Thor says. Even Loki doesn't know much about Earth ways and politics much less police work. We can break it to him slowly, but for now we all keep an eye out."

"You're letting him stay then?" Steve was a bit in shock. "You're not saying that you put him in Stark's tower? Is it? That's your plan."

"Do you have a better idea, Captain?"

"But, Fury, what if he's not what we think he is? What if he's what Loki is?"

"That's why I'm putting him in the Avengers' care until we figure something out. For now, we let him get his rest and tomorrow, he'll be heading straight to Stark's humble abode."

"Great." Tony rolled his eyes.

"So, what, we have to tell him that he's in another world?" Natasha questioned. "That would make us insane to him, or more he'll think he's gone insane."

Thor spoke. "Surely he can believe if we show him what we are capable of. And this is far easier than seeing my brother destroy Midgard. Perhaps Tony Stark and Dr. Banner could fix the tesseract and we might be able to send him home."

"Get to work then." Fury rubbed his temples. "For now, you have rooms here on the helicarrier. We'll introduce ourselves to 'Tom' tomorrow. Stark, I want you to get as much as you can from his cell phone. Dr. Banner, could help as well. As for the rest of you, find something else to do and get out of my sight."

"Grumpy."

Tony stood up and left, followed by Banner. Steve stayed and so did Thor. Natasha and Clint were off left together finding something better to pass the time. Fury wondered why the two stayed behind but was glad that they did.

"Thor, mind telling me more about that story of yours."

"Asgard was known for many tales." Thor flipped his hammer.

"This was the tale from where Loki and I were still children. There were many objects that are powerful just like the 'tesseract'. Tis not a myth. Our people believed in that power and fear some of it as well. We were told that such powers contain portals that allow us to travel through different realms. Such as the Bifrost, which travels to your realm, _Midgard_, and others like, _Jotunheim_. The tesseract is something similar. Yet it can go through other alternate timelines such as what we have witnessed earlier."

"It's that powerful?" Steve wondered. "So you can basically, change the past, present and future, just as long as you know how to work the thing?"

"Yes, that can happen." Thor bit his lips. "But none can master such power, there is a limit to it. But we do believe in such things. This is proof that it can happen. The theories on which you speak of, all of it, in one containment. It is a power to behold. Strong, in which many have lost themselves in. My brother, might be one of them."

"You're probably happy, aren't you?" Steve smiled. "I mean, you're brother is, different in that world."

"Yes, I wish for the same here." Thor closed his eyes. "I wish to have my brother back."

"Thor, your brother is waking up." Fury eyed the screen, watching Loki stand up, still magically chained but healthy enough to walk around the room.

Fury turned back to see that Thor had gone. Steve was still sitting on one of the chairs facing the door. They would have a word with their current trickster soon. A truce was something they'll have to reconsider depending on what actions the liesmith will take.

"So much for a break."

* * *

**oOo**

The next morning came by quickly. The Avengers assembled once again in the same meeting room, only that Tony was late. He was 'fashionably late' as always, so nobody bothered him about being on time, he never follows through. When Tony walked through the door, nobody looked happy.

Tony took off his sunglasses and sat right next to Steve, who was currently messing with the hem of his shirt, looking unsure and uncomfortable. Thor was messing with his hammer like usual but he seemed more distant. Probably because of that talk he and Loki had yesterday, poor guy.

Banner was reading on a book about _'Alternate Realities theory'_ and another book placed on the circular table that was called_ 'Dimension Travel.'_ Banner was a fan of those. Tony, just wasn't interested in reading so much. He liked probing and messing with things.

Clint and Natasha were debating on '_Tom_' the alternate universe Loki, as Tony liked to call him. It looks like Clint was winning, as he was defending the 'guys' rights of not being so bad, if they got to know him and muttering stuff about the _polar opposite_ and _alternate mumbo jumbo._

And last but not the least was their so called director of SHIELD, Fury. He seemed pissed off just like yesterday, as he was currently out numbered by the decisions of the Avengers team. What the hell happened yesterday? Tony and Banner obtained lots of information on the tesseract and Tom's cellphone. They finished late, last night and called it a day.

He wondered what else happened to the rest.

"Well this is a pretty sight to see." Tony smirked as he took out his phone and placed it on the table. "I had a great night, how 'bout you guys? No? Didn't think so. Captain?"

"None of us slept last night." Steve stopped messing with his shirt. "I blame it on too much thinking."

"What were you thinking about?" Tony glanced at the rest.

Whose eyes were on him except Fury's, who was watching the screen intently, featuring Loki pacing inside his cell.

"About Loki's look alike." Steve covered his face with his hands. "I just can't imagine there would be another Loki in the universe. I mean it's just..."

"Oh right, Man from a few years back." Tony nodded and went to caressing his beard. "It's just the way it is, you've got to believe it. Just try to picture it, he's there clear and visible. There's nothing we can do until, Banner and I figure things out."

"Is that so Mr. Stark?" Fury turned to him. "I hope you've gotten more information on our guest? As requested?"

"Oh yeah, got them all." Tony waved a hand to him as if saying 'whatever, I'm cool.'

"Dude, 'Tasha and I have been debating about that Tom person since last night." Clint rubbed his temples. "She just wouldn't let it go that he's just not where he belongs. The guys a freaking Universe traveler."

"I'm just saying not to trust him that's all." Natasha retorted. "Now you call him Universe Traveler, what about Alien transporter." Natasha chose to drop it. "What about you, Stark? Did you sleep well last night? Surely you did."

"Oh, me?" Tony smirked. "I'm glad you asked I was-"

Banner placed his book down, "I kept reading these books to see what we can do to help Tom." He said, cutting off Tony. "There's so much theory in here similar to what Thor said yesterday."

"Speaking of the big guy." Tony turned to Thor who was looking at the screen Fury was checking moments ago. He seemed to be really distant and the guy looked restless.

Thor turned as Steve's arm brushed his shoulder, he didn't realize that Steve moved towards him. He turned to his friends, placed the Hammer down and eyed them all. Tony repeated his question and Thor took a great deal of time contemplating on what to say. Apparently things didn't end so well on his part. They were all a bit disoriented with yesterdays event, so why should a 'god' be exempted?

"Rumor says your talk with your brother didn't end well." Clint mumbled.

"I take it, it went bad." Tony frowned as Steve elbowed his ribs. "Sorry, care to share?"

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it Thor." Steve raised both hands. "We understand not to pry into your life. That right, Tony?"

"What? I love prying into people's lives."

"It was not very pleasant," Thor looked at the ground, silence erupted in the room as everyone listened to what he had to say.

So much for **privacy**.

"My brother did not like where our conversation had gone. I too, had to admit that I was wrong with what I said. He probably took it the wrong way. It wasn't very clear but I shall tell you what happened. You are my friends, you have the right to know."

* * *

**oOo**

_(Flashback for yesterday - Loki and Thor)_

Thor thundered the hallway with his steps as it echoed through out the place. He didn't care if he bumped into other SHIELD Agents on the way, as one thing was on his mind. Talk to his brother. He pushed the guard away fiercely away from the door of the cell.

The cell was exactly the same as the first one with glassed walls. Loki stopped pacing when he saw Thor enter the room. Only the glass was holding them apart for now. Loki frowned but quickly hid it with an intense glare. Thor stood his ground, trying to find the right words to say.

"Why have you come here _Thor_?" Loki hissed as he clenched his fists. "Did you come here to bask in your _glory_ for _defeating_ me?"

"No brother. I came to simply speak with you." Thor's voice had some sympathy, but Loki rejected the thought and saw it as pity. "Brother, you _need_ to help us understand about-"

"**Lies!** You want more than just _talking_!" Loki glared and turned his back to Thor. "I'm not your brother! I never was. You know this, ask the Allfather. Perhaps he can enlighten you with the details."

"But brother-" Thor didn't want to hear it, he wished to deny it.

"**I am a frost giant Thor!**" Loki turned to him and screamed as if his heart were to give out. "I tried to **destroy** my own race just to make Odin _proud_! I attempted to rule Midgard yet I failed with such _shame_! Do you not _understand_ that talking to me is useless by now?"

Thor did agree with him.

It was useless but never hopeless.

He still saw something that his brother had, it was wrenched deep inside of him, the brother he knew from his childhood. Thor held his hammer tightly, trying his hardest not to break something. One thing he learned here on earth, was that, nothing can be solved by simply breaking, one must seek answers for them to be solved.

"What do you want, Thor?" Loki lowered his head and bit his lips. "I am useless now, you won't be able to seek help from me. My magic is bound by Midgard's devices."

Thor saw that SHIELD had made a magic suppressing collar around Loki's neck. It seemed painful, to see his brother like this. Weak and vulnerable, just like he was when he had become mortal. Loki still had magic but it was not enough to help him escape, the only magic he had was to retain the spell 'Odin' had cast upon him to hide his Frost Giant form.

"We seek your knowledge." Thor raised his voice. "The stories we were told in Asgard. The powers that can unleash chaos through other timelines and other realms or universes. You know more than I do."

"And what if I do?" Loki narrowed his eyes. "What's in it for me? You plan on making deals to help petty mortals. Let them do their jobs and leave me be."

"Brother, the tesseract had caused this alternate you to come here to Earth." Thor spoke fast so Loki wouldn't interrupt him. "He is mortal, from Earth, and he is just like you in many ways. You have to help him return to his own realm."

"Why _would_ I care?" Loki sat down on the couch/bed at the side of the wall. "For what I know, I am your enemy. I would not stoop so low as to help a mortal, more so if it was my other counterpart."

"He is in dire need brother."

"Make me a _deal_ then!" Loki grinds his teeth. "I wish to be free to roam Midgard as I please!"

"But Brother I cannot make such decisions on my own!" Thor felt the need to beg but he knew his brother would only laugh at him for his stupidity. It never worked, not anymore. As children, it worked wonders, now there was no way to make amends of the past.

"Then leave me alone and never talk to me again if you cannot help me!" Loki lay down on the soft couch/bed and turned his back on Thor.

"Sorry, Loki."

Thor dropped his head, he would have to speak with his friends about the matter. Surely Loki knew a lot of things that he didn't. Thor wasn't much of a reader, but Loki was, and he was far smarter than him. He would have to ask his friends to get the information. He knew they wouldn't like where it was going but he was at least happy that Loki would offer help if his request was granted.

* * *

**oOo**

"Sorry Thor, but you know I can't do that." Fury eyed him furiously.

"I know." Thor hung his head in shame. "But I wish for you to reconsider, we know little about such travels and my brother knows more than any of us do. He has the collar of which Stark has made, surely you can reconsider with him as a mortal?"

"I like where this is going!" Tony sat back on the chair and relaxed. "Get Loki out of his cell and make him sleep in my tower and during the night, even if he is mortal, he can slit our throats and bye-bye Avengers! I love that, really Thor? I want to keep living."

"I don't agree with it either, I'd rather choose Tom." Natasha eyed Clint.

"Me too. Just keep him locked up."

"What about the information?" Banner piped up. "Isn't that important to send Tom back to where he belongs. And, Everyone in this room was exposed to the tesseract exploding. It's possible that the ones closest to the tesseract will experience the same thing Loki dealt with."

"Are you saying we'll be propelled feets away?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "And I still disagree with freeing Loki."

"No, I meant that," Banner ran a hand to his hair. "Since Loki was holding onto the tesseract, his double appeared. Thor was just standing there next to him, so there is a possibility that his double will appear as well. Depending on who were the ones closest. I've managed to figure that out."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier at the lab?" Tony felt alone and ignored. "I could've researched myself too! I have JARVIS with me."

"I wanted to confirm something on the books I've been reading and so far, it seems plausible." Banner looked at Fury. "What do you think, Fury?"

"Are you saying Dr. that another Thor will appear soon?" Fury raised an eyebrow to which Banner nodded to. "Great, then tell me who was standing the nearest after Thor? Just for us to see who we're up against."

Tony raised his hand like a school kid. "We're doomed."

He seemed pretty excited for his counterpart to come. The others look like they want to smack him in the head for it. "Alright Stark, your turn. Thor's given his information on Loki, Dr. Banner with the tesseract and now it's your turn about that cellphone."

"Fine." Tony pouted and hacked into SHIELD's main system and activated it. Touching numerous things on the hologram. A picture of Tom appeared on the screen.

"Okay, the information he said yesterday about him having siblings were true." Tony swallowed and started pressing again. "Apparently, he's an actor and his life is living in luxury, not really, more like, in the now kind of life. He travels a lot. Mostly stays in hotels nowadays because of his high raising career. Something like that."

"Middle child. Wealthy. Good life. Happy one, too." Steve smiled. "He's not lying then, from what you're saying, Tony. So he's safe?"

"So it's true? That in his world we're just-" Natasha was cut off by Tony.

"Just actors who are hired to act out movies. He's in theatrical and other stuffs like Shakespeare and he became well known in his movie called 'Thor.'"

"There is a movie about us?" Thor's eyes widened.

"You know what a movie is?" Clint bit his lips. "You have movies in Asgard?"

"No, but Jane had mentioned it before. Darcy, had told me what it was that you Mortals watch." Thor smiled. "I am simply learning, still. Stark, this movie, what is it about?"

"It's about your life, Thor. As well as how you were banished and stuff." Tony ignored Thor's grunts. "Then, Tom was picked to star as bad guy in the Avengers Assemble movie. I've read it and the plot is the same as what happened to us earlier. He's really not lying, everything is in here. I just didn't want to mess with Youtube."

"What?" Steve wondered. "Are you saying we have videos there too?"

"Catching up on technology?" Tony smiled and pressed again.

"A little. The videos, Tony?"

"Yup," Tony grinned. "We have numerous videos about interviews but I didn't want to watch them because that would ruin the fun if we actually met them. Which is a good thing with what Bruce said to us earlier."

"Any more Stark?" Fury asked but Tony shook his head. "How do we break it to him?"

"How about telling it to him straight?" Clint suggested. "It'll be easier."

"You can't do that, that would leave him in shock!" Steve protested. "It's not even that easy."

"We show him proof, if he finds it hard to believe." Thor raised his hammer. "I could show him what I can do with Mjolnir."

"That would downright shock him even more." Natasha bit her lips. "Just tell it to him. You're making things complicated."

"He might not even believe us." Banner ignored the protest he got just by speaking up.

"Hey hold up!" Tony rose from his seat."HEY!"

"Do you have a suggestion then Stark?" Fury growled a little.

"Listen here, I think I can speak for Tom here myself. I can sort of relate to him in a way. How do you think he'll feel if we break it to him, nicely?"

"Good maybe?" Clint raised a brow. "I don't know."

"He wakes up somewhere he doesn't know, handcuffed, bruised, and interrogated. No constitutional right for anything whatsoever and then we just say 'You came from another world' and 'We're the Avengers'. How the hell do you think he'll react?"

"What do you propose we do?" Natasha face-palmed.

"I don't know, break the ice as slowly as can be. Without scaring the bejeebers out of him." Tony shrugged. "I just said that in a weird sentence. Along with a weird word. Never mind, I don't know what to do either."

"What now then?" Clint wondered, there's not much to do than confront the situation.

"We have no choice but to speak to him, if we cannot accomplish this task then we cannot accomplish anything." Thor frowned. "Is there any chance we can bring my brother into this as well?"

"What are you saying Thor?" Natasha piped up. "You want Loki to talk to Tom too?"

"Maybe Tom will believe us if he sees his other self?" Clint assured. "Thor's got a point."

"Perhaps it will help my brother reconsider?" Thor mumbled. "Perhaps he'll understand, that we truly mean no harm to him."

"I don't agree with it." Tony shrugged and turned to Thor. "If you want him here, you might as well gag him and then you can bring him in here. I want to feel safe."

"I can do that." Fury raised an eyebrow, turning to Thor. "He has to be gagged and handcuffed so he won't attack anyone. The collar has to stay on. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Fury, you're not going to do the same thing to Tom right?" Steve wondered.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I will protest no matter what you say. It's wrong. I wouldn't do that."

"Sticking up to your principals." Tony smirked. "That's Captain America for you. He speaks for us all. But yeah, I don't want you to do the same thing to Tom. That would be bad, and Iron man will get you, tag teaming with Cap here."

"We can't cause anymore frightening situations for Tom." Banner straightened himself. "We don't want to risk looking like the bad guy."

"Yes. In his eyes, he'll probably see Loki as a good guy, if we ever do the same to him." Clint raised his foot on the table. "Besides, didn't Tony say that Tom played Loki in the movie. Surely, he can sympathize with him. Right?"

"True." Fury nodded.

"I'll go get Loki." Natasha stood up, offering to assist. "Stay here."

"Go and do that." Fury pressed his earpiece. "Bring our guest down to the meeting room. And let our power hungry villain know he'll be taken by Agent Romanov. Be careful not to scare our guest. We don't need any more problems, if one so dares rise, I will kill somebody."

Tony smirked. "This is going to be fun."

"More like _chaos_." Clint muttered.

"I hope you know what you're going to do, because I sure as hell won't help." Fury turned his back to the screen where Loki and Tom were being, taken care of.

* * *

**oOo**

Tom sat on the edge of his bed, he hated to admit that it was boring. He remembered that he was given pain killers yesterday and the man led him to the same medical room he was in before. Tom noticed the hallways were similar to that of SHIELD.

The suspicion quickly went away as he observed the wounds he had.

They were real and very painful. Nobody would go that far to prank him. His questions lingered though, why was he walking around the SHIELD set and how come it looked so real? No cameras were there and everyone had uniforms of black leather and weapons

_Odd._

He never _questioned_ these things unless they were truly out of the ordinary. The hallway looked exactly the same as where they shot the scene where 'Loki' eyed 'Bruce Banner.' He noticed that very well. He was also accompanied by numerous police or Agents or whatever they were called, back to his room. That night he went to sleep, thinking that someone will come for him and people will wonder where he had gone. He just hoped it would be soon. There was fear lingering in his mind, but logic was there to reason it out. There was something he couldn't get out of his mind. Who was it that sent him to this place? Where was he and How did he get here?

_"Maybe tomorrow, It'll just be some horrible nightmare and I'll wake up in that hotel."_

When he woke up that very morning, he stiffened and frowned as he eyed the room he was in. Perhaps it wasn't a dream after all and that this was far worse than he expected, it was real. He sighed, so glad that he was given a bathroom and toothbrush and all other necessary things.

He cleaned himself and went back to the bed, only to find that he was given a tray of fresh fruits and some pain killers.

He didn't ask why or how it got there, instead he simply accepted and ate it. Whispering a thank you to whoever did so. He hated being rude even if there wasn't anyone there. It was still morning and he had nothing better to do but mess around with things, he had to at least admit that being bored out of his mind means being followed by _curiosity_.

_"I wonder?"_ Tom smiled, he felt like a little child planning his escape.

_"Perhaps a little peak won't hurt. If wherever I am is real, then I might as well make the best of it. Odd dream though, I would've chosen a better scenery."_

He couldn't stay on the bed any longer as he stood up and took the jacket placed on top of the chair next to the bed. He put it on and walked to the door, maybe they won't mind some snooping around. After all, what could go wrong?

He turned the knob but it wouldn't budge. He grunted in annoyance.

_"Great, it feels like I'm being held prisoner here. So far, they haven't even allowed me to call __somebody."_ Tom sighed and sat back at the edge of the bed.

_"No windows, nothing to do, no word, no nothing. Great, just great."_

Tom felt like thrashing all over the room, demanding his rights. But he was smarter than that, the last thing he wanted was to be sedated for submission. He eyed the door intensely, he knew this room all too well. Wasn't this the room where Jeremiah and Sharlotte shot their scenes together after Jeremiah was controlled.

Tom brushed a hand down to his hair. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He was smart enough to know that rushing to things was never the answer. He looked at the room again, it was exactly the same but nobody was in sight and it was just a small room. No nothing, no camera crew and actors could fit in here all at once. There's got to be a trick in this. No wonder he felt familiar and attached to the place, he'd been here before. It was the SHIELD set, but what? Did they make major changes. Everything was so realistic and it felt like he was really in the helicarrier.

_"What am I going to do?"_ He thought._ "I know this isn't the police station or any kind jail, so where am I, exactly? Surely someone is worried about my disappearance."_

The door opened to reveal the same Agent that interrogated him yesterday, but this time with no other guards accompanying him. The man opened the door wide enough and stood there, hands together.

The Agent stood stiffly. "You are released Sir."

"Thank goodness." Tom felt like jumping for joy for the news but was later accompanied by a distressing one.

"But before we officially release you. A few people would like to talk with you, about your current situation."

"Couldn't you just tell me what my situation is?" Tom patiently asked. "Surely, people are looking for me. Have you even contacted them?"

"No Sir. We found no need to contact anyone." The Agent motioned for him to get out of the room. "We'll talk more on the way to the meeting."

"Meeting?" Tom stood up and started walking by the Agents side. "What are you talking about? Why am I not entitled to tell anyone?"

"It's very classified." The Agent eyed him through the sunglasses.

"This isn't a joke is it?"

"No Sir. Why would you think that?" The Agent walked swiftly, causing Tom to try and catch up.

"Nothing, just curious." Tom mumbled as he often bit his lip on the trip. _"Just like Coulson, but scarier."_

Tom glanced at everything he could see that would prove his point that this was the SHIELD setting they acted on before in the movie. But everything was connected, every staircase, every wall and workers, even agents were roaming around to do their jobs. It's like fantasy land all in one place. Like one giant Avengers convention only everything and every prop was real.

Or seemed_, real._

_"Keep it together Tom, you're an actor, stay in character."_ Tom frowned slightly as his conversation with the Agent went nowhere. _"This just proves everything I've been thinking off till now, was right. It must be a dream, surely something's causing me to feel this way. It's a nightmare. None of this is real."_

"We're almost there."

They walked a long distance until they reached an elevator. Tom was practically shaking by now, he wasn't sure what these people wanted from him but he rather play along than get himself killed. Besides, the kid in him was simply enjoying this even if he seemed like he was about to hyperventilate. You never really get to have fun until you experience the real deal.

_"If this is SHIELD, then where are the avengers?"_ Tom sighed and shook his head. _"I'm going insane, why would I even think any of this is real. It's a dream. Just a dream. But why am I so excited?"_

* * *

**oOo**

Loki sat on his couch/bed and eyed the glass reflecting his image. He could see the very soul left in himself. He frowned, all his ruthless effort, wasted. He tried everything to get the love he deserved by why wasn't it enough? Why do people love Thor more than him?

_"Why did you have to come Brother?"_ Loki eyed his reflection again. _"I know that you would never bask in glory. Not since you came back from Midgard and confronted me."_

Yesterdays events made things worse than they already were and his situation was far better than he expected it to be. He would have thought that he would be sentenced to death by now, but he was alive and ticking all the same. Loki still admired Thor in a lot of ways. Growing up together and helping each other with their downfalls. He only wished to be Thor's equal, but nobody could understand that. He wanted to make Odin proud of him and feel that same warmth he felt as a child.

He could never accept being a Jotun.

_"I'm still an Asgardian."_

He could feel tears escaping but bit his lip to stop it, immediately closing his eyes.

_"I hate you Thor! Why must you make me suffer?" _Loki palmed his face and sighed.

Nothing he did ever impressed anyone, everyone just simply hated him. If he could at least find someone that truly understood him for what he was, it was enough for him. To find the right person that will give off the hint that he was confused and felt unloved.

He wouldn't admit it himself.

That would only make him look weak in the eyes of Mortals like us. The word Mortal escaped his lips. It felt funny and not in the good way. He remembered the help Thor was asking him, that his counterpart had come through the tesseract.

_"Thor said he was Mortal."_ Loki wondered. _"How did he fare without magic? Or ruling without a kingdom?"_

His magic had reacted to the tesseract strangely, accidentally activating it without consciousness. Something else was off. His magic went haywire when he turned the cylinder of the tesseract, it was the handcuffs.

_"That should be the reason."_ Loki stood up from his seat and paced. _"The device of Stark's creation. It was blocking my magic. When the tesseract was reaching for it, it destroyed the device, causing my magic to explode at a rapid pace. Thus activating the portal of my counterpart without my knowledge."_

That was it, he figured it out. Then again, it rendered him unconscious when the portal opened. He only realized it until it was too late. He unconsciously traced the device on his neck with his fingers. It was blocking his magic far better than the first one did.

For now, he was as mortal as any other. At least he had kept his Asgardian form. His counterpart was a mortal, how did he cope by being such. He wondered if the man was also adopted or that if he ever grew up alone or treated as a shadow.

_Curiosity_ was simply **_killing_**him, he had to know.

_"Perhaps Thor would tell me."_ A smirk lingered on his lips. _"The oaf, my brother is, he cannot simply shut his mouth."_

Loki heard clicking noises, he turned to the door opening. There were numerous guards with stun guns and bullet proof outfits, surrounding his cell. A red-head stepped out of the shadow, walking towards him. He recognized her, she had interrogated her before, loss to his senses was the fact that he fell for it.

Loki gritted his teeth as he eyed Black Widow, her face shown of amusement.

"It's your lucky day." She said. "Get him out."

Something was off.

He didn't like not being told or being surprised. He felt a shiver run down his spine. To his vision, guards were surrounding him and noise fluttered his ears. He could see the smile she was pulling off in the corner. He knew it was all too good to be true. Question was, where were they taking him?

* * *

**oOo**

"We're here." The Agent stopped at the door and turned to Tom. "They would like for you to have this back."

The Agent gave him back his cell phone and hotel keys. Tom gave a tired smile to the man and thanked him. He placed the phone and key back into his pocket. Not wanting to risk it being taken. The Agent swiped at the door and it swiftly opened to reveal the Avengers sitting at the table.

_"No way, it's got to be a dream."_ Tom stood there wide eyes. "Uh..." Shocked that he couldn't even move. "_What am I going to do? Is it really them? It's a joke right? I fell for it."_

"Hey, there he is!" Tony waved at him with a smile. "Glad you're okay. You are, are you? Because we cannot really reschedule anything as we want this to be done and it's not just nerve-wracking for you but for us as well. So be a sweetie and sit down and then we'll talk.

_"Rob. That's Rob."_ Tom took a deep breath, eying everyone in the room.

They look sorta serious, well, Fury and Banner did but the rest looked pretty normal. What were they up to? Scaring him like that. He would have burst out laughing if it was someone else but, now, he just wanted closure.

"Pipe down, you're scaring him." Steve smiled to Tom. "Uh, take a seat. We'll explain."

"Way to break it to him, Tony." Banner spoke up from his book.

"Nice intro, Stark." Clint smirked, stopping himself from laughing. "If 'Tasha were here, she'd kick your ass. You just said you'd handle it and she even offered to help take out our bad guy from his cage, that was bad handling. "

"What part of handling don't you understand, Barton?" Tony protested, Tom was just confused.

Why were they calling each other by their character. He kept thinking in his head 'it's just a dream, go with it.' but it wasn't working.

"What about 'Hey, you're in an alternate universe' speech?" Clint laughed as he glanced at Tom and back to Tony. "If Natasha really was here, she'd be pissed at you for ruining the moment."

"She's not here, isn't she." Tony made a mocking face towards Clint. "I'm so happy. Mom won't have to smack me in the butt."

"I..." Tom wanted to speak but he was just, in turned to him, he felt a cold shiver down his spine. So much for proving he was wrong. _"What the hell do they mean by Alternate Universe? It's a dream, right?"_

"Easy there, Tiger." Tony stood up from his seat and walked towards Tom. "We won't hurt you."

_"Won't hurt, what is he talking about? Was he planning on hurting me?"_ Panic spread across his face.

"D-don't... I..."

He stepped backwards in fright, bumping into someone from behind. He turned his heels and raised his head, only to see a giant Asgardian in front of him, wielding a hammer. He didn't register it at first and instincts told him to apologize. Force of habit, maybe?

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" He blinked. "Chris? You're in costume?" He turned to the others. "Everyone's in costume. What's going on?"

"Sorry, my Friend." Thor smiled. "But I know not of this Chris person. Tis I Thor, God of Thunder. I come from Asgard, son to Odin and Frigga and-"

"I think he gets it Thor." Tony laughed, Thor stopped, a little confused and flustered.

_"And I'm Loki, God of Mischief."_ Of course, Tom kept it to himself. _"What have I gotten myself into?" _Not wanting to sound so rude but he was completely confused at the moment.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on? And how come, SHIELD is, well, completely in one set. It's all connected, and how did I get here?"

"We don't really know what to say." Steve rubbed the back of his neck, seeing Tom staring at him. "Well this is awkward."

"Look, Tom we're not really prepared." Tony pulled Tom and sat him next to Fury. "What we're saying is that, you don't belong here."

"What?" Tom blinked. "I don't get it? Is this a joke?"

"What no!" Steve raised an arm. "It's not joke, it's all real. Just, hear us out will you. It's hard for us to explain it as well. We're just, a little weirded out that you're not freaking out."

"What's there to freak out?" Tom wondered. "It's not like any of you are out to get me, right?"

"Right-" Banner smiled at him, Tom felt shivers again.

"You really don't belong here." Clint spoke up, glancing at Fury, who promised himself he wouldn't help. "You're from somewhere far away and you came here by accident and we don't know how to get you back and- oh, what the hell! Tony, do me the honors."

"Hah! knew you couldn't handle it." Tony smirked and chuckled at his victory.

"Then why am I here then?" Tom asked, still confused. "Why was I injured or why was I interrogated or something? Please, care to enlighten me, Rob."

"I won!" Clint burst out laughing. "That was funny! Call him that again."

"Well- wait- what? Rob? You think I'm that guy?" Tony glanced at his friends. "Okay, you're confused. Um... look, you're really not in your own world. Just think that you were in another-"

"Realm." Thor smiled, leaning on the wall with Mjolnir.

"-Realm," Tony repeated. "And that you were pulled into another one that was completely different from yours. Does that make sense- No, never mind I give up. Damn that was hard."

"It's got to be a dream then." Tom said. "You're all in my dream, I must have hit my head then or had an accident. Perhaps I'm hallucinating."

"Friend, it is true." Thor piped up again. "You have come from an Alternate Universe and into our world that only exists in yours as a movie. Find it in your heart that we are not lying to you, we speak of the truth."

"I can't believe this."

Tom palmed his face and rubbed his temples. He sighed, this was not something he expected to happen. First he wakes up 'having not a single clue to where he was', being interrogated, injured and hauled into a room with nothing to do and now here he was talking to his friends as if they were still in character and they even claim to be the real avengers.

Typical morning? No.

"It's a dream." Tom closed his eyes tightly, dropping his head on the table. "Why won't I wake up from it?"

"Dude, don't hurt yourself." Clint patted him on the back. "It's real, trust us."

Tom opened his eyes and looked at them. "Prove it to me. If this is all real, then show me I'm not dreaming. Then I'll see if I'll freak out or not."

"What proof do you need?" Fury asked, he had to admit that this other "Loki" seemed really human.

"I don't know, anything would be fine." Tom placed his elbow on the table and rested his head on his palm.

"Like what?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"How about Thor's hammer, if it can do that magnetic thing." Tom spoke. "Or Tony Stark's magnificent creations. Or Bruce turning green. Hawkeye's arrow shooting or Steve or Black Widow with her guns. Anything can be proof. Where is Black widow?"

"Natasha left to get our bad guy." Clint said.

"Bad guy?" Tom wondered. "Loki? You mean him right? Well that can be proof too."

"Uhh... we're not sure about that." Steve mumbled, unsure of what to say.

"I can do that, my Friend." Thor smiled, throwing the hammer up and down. "You will see my strength and it will lead you to believe. I can do much more than just throw it, shall I break something?"

"You're not breaking anything while you're in my helicarrier." Fury grunted in annoyance.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Tom crossed his arms. "Please, just to stop the confusion. It is getting quite, how do you put it, unsettling."

"Wait a minute, Tom!" Tony copied Tom, crossing his arms as well. "You think my tech is magnificent? That's priceless, I like him. Can I keep him? He can stay in my lab! I'll feed him too."

"Can we stick to the proving thing?" Banner placed his book down. "And, you wouldn't want to see the big guy anyway. Hulk's pretty angry at Loki. He might mistake you for him."

"That's very reassuring." Tom sarcastically said but with fear lingering, it still made him feel chills.

The door opened revealing Natasha while he was dragging a certain Norse God at her heels. He seemed pretty angry, there was a gag on him, his hands tied behind his back and there was a weird collar on his neck. Tom's eyes widened as he came face to face with his opposite. He did not expect this, sudden turn of events.

"That can't be him, can it?" Tom wondered.

_"Release me you impudent Mortal!"_ Loki tried to voice out but was muffled by the gag. _"I am a god, you will not-"_

Loki stopped struggling when he saw his counterpart. Silence ensued. Loki seemed shock as well, apparently both of them didn't see it coming. They didn't expect to meet until, later. Loki thought of meeting this other him but not this soon. He had nothing to say, and he couldn't. Loki turned to Natasha, glaring at her, who quickly pulled him to a seat right next to Steve.

They all earned a few glares from Loki._ "If only looks could kill. They would have all died by now."_

Tony who was standing next to Tom, just muttered, "Aw, hell! Just when we're about to prove to Tom our tech, you decided to bring him in. Thanks Natasha, thanks so much. You've just made me so happy."

"You're welcome, Mr. Stark." Natasha said in her sweetest voice. "Now where were we?"

"You mean, where were we?" Clint said, smirking at her. "We is us, you were elsewhere."

"Shut up Clint."

Loki rolled his eyes at the sheer stupidity of mortals. He winced, he was still badly bruised and nobody bothered to help heal his injuries. He stared at his counterpart, observing him, just as Tom was doing the same thing. Thor was a little worried about the silence.

Nobody dare spoke up as the tension in the room was rising. Both Tom and Loki were intently keen on observing the other, and none of them were backing down. It was like a staring contest gone to hell. Tom broke the eye contact and shifted uncomfortably on the chair.

"I think I believe you guys already." Tom muttered loud enough for the others to hear. "This really isn't a dream."

* * *

**oOo**

_"This mortal thinks it's all a dream?"_ Loki snorted inwardly. _"One look at his counterpart and he suddenly believes. True, we have different preferences in looks but perhaps, he is the same as I, deep inside. Only time will tell if I ever get out of this mouth device. I might ask him questions myself."_

Loki observed Tom, with that black jacket, the grey shirt and the tight pants and boots. The soft expression on his face, the patient atmosphere and kind nature he feels inside him. It's weird that there is almost no anger, no nothing in this man.

"Sorry this was so sudden." Natasha smiled.

"Uh, yes." Tom caressed his cheeks. "Is there a chance I could convince them to take the gag off Loki? It feels terribly uncomfortable. Not just for him, but for me as well."

Tom eyed Loki again just as Loki's gaze began to lighten. The gag probably hurt, after all, Tom knew Loki best. He acted just like him, read stories about him, he was sort of a fan. He liked Loki because of everything he's done, he's simply misunderstood. Maybe while he's here, he could get the villain to change sides.

No harm in trying, right?

_"Great plan."_ Tom smiled inwardly. _"This is going to be fun."_

"Okay! The silence is killing me!" Tony piped up again, truly he can't shut his mouth. "Uh, great. What now? Because if you guys expect me to do something out of the ordinary, I'm leaving. What's the point if we're not going through with this."

Tom shifted his gaze. What was he suppose to do?

Everyone looked at him, feeling a bit content that he's starting to see the picture. Loki was still observing him and Tom was getting anxious. The cold stare bore through him like a dagger, he shifted uncomfortably on his seat, not knowing what to do next. He glanced back at Loki, who was still glaring. He sighed, whatever is happening to him, he simply didn't care anymore.

Tom took a deep breath. _"Whether this is a dream or not, I might as well enjoy it. It's not like I can do anything to stop all this."_

"So, Loki is proof enough for you?" Tony raised an eyebrow and smiled when Tom nodded. "That was easier than I thought. Alright, meetings done, we can all have some lunch! I'm going, see you guys later, I'll just-"

"Hold it there Stark." Fury narrowed his eyes. "We might as well prove our point further to," he paused. "to, Tom. And we need to get other information from our power hungry villain here."

"Misunderstood, you mean." Tom felt everyone's gaze. "I- well, I'm- I'm just saying."

_"This Mortal?"_ Loki's eyes widened._ "How did he- no- it's not possible for him to understand me."_

"You're saying this bad guy is misunderstood." Clint ruffled his hair. "Well, you've gone out of your mind. He destroyed half of New York. He had aliens invade Earth! You call him misunderstood. More like on purpose!"

"It's not that I'm defending what he did." Tom cleared.

"Then why are you-" Steve was cut off.

"I'm simply saying that his reasons are different from what you think. You have to at least understand where he's going through after all the hardships he's faced. I mean, a villain isn't born, it's made. There are things which caused him to turn."

_"Odd, that a Mortal like him would defend my rights."_ Loki stared at the other Avengers, simply observing. _"I wonder if they'll understand what he's saying, the truth beneath my lies."_

"I trust what you say, Friend, Son of hiddles." Thor said at the sidelines as Loki listened intently, his anger quickly gone and changed into curiosity.

"It's Tom, Thor." Tom chuckled at the nickname.

"Aye..."

"You know little about your brother." He whispered, raising his hands. "You may think you're doing the best but you are probably making things worse. He only wanted to be equals, right?"

_"He's not my brother, Mortal!"_ Loki frowned. _"If only I could speak, I would have protested numerous times! But what you're saying is true, he does make my life worse... at times but somewhat still care... but nay... i would not admit to it."_

"Wait, how would you know?" Natasha stood up. "You didn't live his life."

"I partly lived his life." Tom pouted and averted his gaze. "I don't really want to argue, can we just stop?"

Tom hated arguments, might as well keep quiet to avoid chairs being thrown at him for those reasons. He was in tight spot already, no need to make things worse than it already is. He doubted anything else, could go worse at this point. Everything was a mess. Why did he even bother?

"What did I do to deserve this?" Tom rubbed his head. "An incompatible yet agreeable team. What a wonder this day has been. Thank you for putting me through this."

"Easy there, guys." Steve tried to prevent a fight. "He's got a point."

"But, does that really justify into trusting Loki." Clint wondered and tilted his head. "Seriously, this is Loki. Dude, I know you understand him because of what you did with the whole acting thing, but this is Loki were talking about."

Loki glared at Clint. _"You can be my next target after Thor."_

He was just sitting there next to Steve, who was blocking him a little from getting near his double. Tom's his name? Right? Loki frowned under the gag, he wished to take it off for him to at least speak for himself. He didn't need this Tom person, defending his rights.

It felt, degrading.

"It's true." Banner smiled slightly. "Tony said he made a movie called 'Thor' and he was the antagonist. So it's likely he lived it. He's an actor after all. "

"Dude..." Clint protested. "You're not saying you agree."

Steve sighed. "I have to agree too."

"Great." Clint rolled his eyes.

_"A movie he says."_ Loki wondered, he's heard of those before. _"In his world, he is an actor? Odd choice of profession, but is likely the same as my shape-shifting ability. He acts as somebody he is not, something I've done before."_

"How are we going to question Loki if he's gagged?" Tony wondered, so quick to change the topic.

"Un-gag him, maybe." Tom suggested but was later swamped by protests. "It's the only logical thing to do. And thank you, Iron man, for taking that off of my mind."

"I'm just saying, look at him." Tony pointed at Loki. "Does he look happy? Seriously, you agreed to bring him here for interrogation too and prove to Tom that this is all real. But adding that information gathering, seriously? You're out of your damn mind, Fury."

"Don't test me, Stark." Fury eyed Loki. "You proposed we gag him, here he is. Gagged. I'm not taking that off, who knows what damage he'll do with words."

"What?" Banner scoffed. "You're all scared he'll throw a verbal tantrum? The Avengers are all in here, there's nothing to be afraid off."

"Dude, nobody's scared." Clint snorted. "After all that invasion, do you think anyone's scared right now?"

"Just saying."

"It's a precaution." Natasha said. "I'm not agreeing to this."

"Free my brother." Thor shouted.

"Can't do that Thor." Tony winked at Tom, who felt his spine tingle. "We can't have green goblin here, running around the city."

Weird. Tom almost laughed with the '_green goblin'_ comment.

"Just to let him speak his mind," Thor shot a worried look at his brother. "I'm sure that my brother cannot harm us with his words. It is just... very painful to see him this way. He has the collar of which Stark has made, he cannot act without us knowing."

_"Idiot, brother."_ Loki rolled his eyes. _"Just take the device off me! It's all so simple!"_

Everyone else began to argue in one corner of the room and Steve left his seat to stop them from arguing any further. Fury decided to intervene in the little avengers battle going on. Tom had this brilliant idea, why not mess with them?

_"Finally a distraction."_ Tom smirked._ "If I didn't know better, I'm putting everyone in danger."_

Tom stood up, going unnoticed by the Avengers. He sat beside Loki, who was still staring at the little battle going on. Tom could see it in Loki's eyes that he was amused by all of this. It was his type of fun, and Tom decided to chuckle lightly at the scene.

_"I wonder."_ Tom thought, a smile spreading across his face. _"Maybe it'll make things more interesting. Never mind, who cares. It's my dream, I'll do what I want."_

He tapped Loki's shoulder and the Norse god eyed him. Tom smiled and held up a small key, Loki wondered how he got it. Was he going to set him free, while the Avengers were distracted? That was, an unwise choice to do. Albeit, very risky as well.

The Avengers could put him in a jail cell too.

_"What are you up to, Mortal?"_ Loki continued to stare as Tom whispered to him, _"Turn around_." with a smile. The god did as told and he felt his hands go limp. He raised his arms, seeing it free from the painful cuffs. He turned around, to face Tom.

_"What is this Mortal doing?"_ Loki wondered. _"Why aren't Thor and the others seeing this? Surely, this did not go unnoticed. I wonder, is it a trick?"_

Loki never stopped staring. The heavy chains binding his hands were gone. Tom held up the chains and placed it on the table gently. Worried that he'll get caught. Tom placed a finger on his lips, "Shhh..." He turned to the Avengers, still arguing about the gag.

_"He is... helping me?"_ Loki felt something wrenching his heart. _"Why would he do such a thing? Knowing he could be punished for this."_

He saw Tom hold the device in his mouth and tugged it. Tom managed to pull it off with a grunt as he toppled off his seat. The avengers stopped fighting and stared at both Loki and Tom, who was standing up rubbing his back.

"That went rather well." Tom placed the gag on the table, both of them didn't realize that people were already staring.

"I..." Loki rubbed his jaw. "Thank you, for your help."

"My pleasure." Tom smiled. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

**"WHAT DID YOU DO?"** Tony shouted and pointed. "Now he's going to **kill** us!"

Tony went to the back of the group as Natasha and Fury brought out their guns, Thor was preparing his hammer for a strike, Clint reached out for his bow, Steve made a stance and Banner at the sidelines if they ever have need of him.

_"This isn't what I had in mind."_ If only Tom could sweat-drop. _"Lord, help me."_

"I would kill the rest of you, Thor first then one by one, you will all be gone." Loki glared and turned to Tom, sprouting his nice face.

"But not him. Thank you for taking that awful device out of my mouth, counterpart. It was a very unpleasant experience."

"You're welcome, call me Tom." He bit his lips, turning to the others. "May you please drop your weapons or- cast them aside- if you please. I don't like being pointed with something that can kill me. I simply did it because he looked uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?" Natasha spatted. "That's suppose to happen! That's why he has it! He deserves it."

"I agree with 'Tasha, that bastard mind-controlled me to do his dirty deeds." Clint muttered, pointing his arrow at Loki. "I say be done with it."

"Do not harm my brother," Thor piped up. "He is not doing any harm as of yet."

"You can't add more insult to injury." Tom politely spoke. "He's had enough punishments in his lifetime. Daddy and brother issues and what not. You should at least understand where he's coming from."

_"Insufferable Mortal and your words."_ Loki bit his lips, this man knew too much about him.

Loki decided to ignore what Tom said. He may be speaking the truth but Loki would never admit it. Banner relaxed, having nothing to worry about and went back to his original seat as did Steve, taking Tom's seat. Natasha lowered her weapon and sat back down, as did Thor and Clint.

Fury, Tom and Tony still standing.

"How did you get him free?" Fury slightly lowered his weapon. "The key is with me."

Tom shrugged. "Key?"

Fury shook his head, wanting more answers.

"I took it from Thor, when I bumped into him. It got into my hands and I kept it in my pocket. I didn't know what it was for until I saw the keyhole, it's exactly the same. I wanted to give it back but, I couldn't."

"So you decided to set him free?" Fury narrowed his eyes, causing Tom to skip a beat of his heart. "That's your plan."

"I did it because it was uncomfortable looking at him." Tom turned to Loki. "And I wanted to ask him questions myself. I told you, I'm a bit curious about him." He added. "And Thor. I would have named Loki my superhero but he's not exactly hero material."

"Why would Thor have a key for Loki's cuffs?" Steve straightened himself. "Unless..."

"Unless?" Banner repeated.

"Unless what?" Natasha growled.

"Unless Thor was going to free Loki himself." Tony smirked and sat beside Loki. "**Hey hot shot!** Mind if I sit right next to you? Or, are you going to apologize for throwing me out the window even if you were recruiting me? Simple yes or no."

"Yes, I apologize that you were ever _born_ with such high ego." Loki said flatly, causing Clint to break into a fit of giggle yet annoyed.

"Shut up, Barton! Or I'll roast you with my suit." Tony pouted. "Meany."

"So childish." Loki shook his head. "Why were you going to break me out of there, Thor? I would never suspect you to do such a thing. It's not in your nature to help me."

"Brother."

"Don't call me that!"

"Loki." Thor nervously laughed. "I did it for the deal we had yesterday. For wishing to trade secrets for your freedom. But this is all the freedom you can have, I cannot let you loose in Midgard. Friends, I'm sorry for doing this from behind."

"It's doing it behind our backs." Tony corrected and turned to Loki. "And I forgive you."

"I don't need your forgiveness, Stark." Loki frowned. "But I can tell you what happened earlier when the tesseract reacted if I am allowed to stay free for now."

"Are we really going to let him roam free in this room?" Clint asked. "Because if he touches me again, I'm going all Jackie chan on him."

"Jack-who?" Loki whispered to Tom.

"Leave it alone." Tom smiled. "It's nothing, man."

Loki rolled his eyes, his Mortal self was talking to him as if they were friends. And that man-thing was just, different. Fury had allowed it, but if he slipped up, he'd be sent back to his cell with no food and water. Torture, he didn't care.

The collar was keeping himself from using magic. He was useless for now, might as well use his knowledge like before. What does he have to lose?

Tom sat back down as Thor leaned on the wall, patiently listening to Loki. He explained what happened with the tesseract, trying to reach his magic, exploding the cuffs in the process. The magic and tesseract mixed opening the portal, without his knowledge. Loki began to explain other things, similar to what Thor said. He even mentioned the collar on his neck, how irritating it was.

He even informed them that there was no other way to reverse it, unless, if the portal finishes bringing people from one realm to another, then it will likely send them back on it's own. Only time will tell, but this was Loki's theory and Banner was intent on learning more.

"We got a lot of learning to do, Bruce." Tony slammed his head on the table.

"Magic learning." Banner sighed. "So much work."

"Oh, god! Why? Why the hell is magic so complicated?" Tony shouted, raising his head and thrashing his arms. "I hate magic. Stupid portals and curse my hunger! Annoying gods and their tricks."

"Mortals will never understand magic, it is a higher form of science you mortals study." Loki scrunched his nose, blushing at the sound of his stomach growling. "And I do agree, I feel famished."

"Me too." Tom mumbled, his stomach growled as well. "Is there any chance I can get food that's not from the medical room. It's not really food."

"This is not happening." Steve shook his head.

Fury rubbed his forehead. "I'm getting soft for my age. Go and eat."

"YES! Someone agrees with me." Tony stood up from his seat and pulled Tom. "You're coming with me."

Loki in shock grabbed Tom's other hand, pulling him back.

"What the hell- Loki! Let go of him, we're eating together and there's nothing you can do."

"Stop being such a child, Stark." Loki stood up with the same height as Tom. "I only wish to speak with, Tom, about matters important to me. He knows a lot of things about my life and I wish to know just how much. So, I suggest you let go."

"No, I got a hold of him first!"

"Quit being such a child! You are annoying, worthless human!"

"Let him go, brother." Thor walked towards him with Mjolnir.

"Why would I follow your orders, Thor?" Loki hissed and scowled. "And how many times, must I say it, I am not your, brother!"

"It is just a feast." Thor softly speak. "You may speak with him later if Fury, allows it."

"No." Fury rubbed his temples. "I'm not authorizing anything."

They all stared at him.

"But I am authorizing that you, Stark and the rest of the team, will be accompanying ,Tom, back to Stark tower. Give him his own personal bedroom and I want you out of my helicarrier, pronto."

"That's mean of you, Fury." Tony stopped pulling Tom and lowered his hand. "Seriously, it's just lunch. If you're jealous then come with us. There's plenty of Tony to go around and food in the helicarrier."

"I want you out of my helicarrier, you can have your lunch in your tower."

"But Fury..."

"Pathetic Mortal." Loki addressed Tony, who stuck his tongue out in response.

"Stupid sorcerer who throws people out of windows just because he didn't take it lightly that we have a damn hulk against his stupid army!"

"Childish, irresponsible, annoying... pathetic excuse for a mortal..." Loki muttered under his breath, but Tom could hear everything.

He chuckled, this was so much fun. Who knew spending time with the avengers meant giving his life a break. He felt relaxed and at ease, dream or not, he was having the time of his life. He was told that Thor's counterpart might soon come, but he never really worried about that. Having Chris Hemsworth along side him would be great, at least it's all real and that he had someone who shares the misery. Better yet, someone who will share the fun, Chris was a very fun man to be with.

Tom took a deep breath, casting aside his thoughts. "I like the offer but can I take my Norse god with me?" Boy, that sounded, dirty.

Tom shrugged, hoping at least he'll agree. He turned to Thor. "Is that alright with you, Thor? I wanted to ask him questions, as well. We're both curious to know."

"Information for information." Loki smiled genuinely this time. "I agree. Thor?"

Everyone blinked.

"Pardon?" Fury's eye widened. "You want me to what-now?"

**"I agree with TOM AND MY BROTHER!"** Thor shouted, he seemed, excited.

"Thor-" Clint got himself interrupted.

"If my brother is closer to us, we can watch him carefully, that way, he will not be destructive. I promise to watch him and he will be in my care. He was suppose to be when we were to leave for Asgard but tis another chance!"

"I cannot fight." Stunning silence erupted.

"This collar." Loki pointed at his neck.

"What of it?" Clint frowned. "It's perfectly designed for you."

"I made it myself, along with Bruce, he tweaked things." Tony smiled.

"It's restricting my magic to a full degree," Loki said. " Far better than the cuffs fared."

"So?" Natasha growled. "You're going to cause trouble without it."

"If I wished to cause trouble, Miss Romanov, I would have done it by now." Loki frowned. "But for now, my interests are of my own. I wish to learn more about my _counterpart_ and how much he knows about my life. And some degrees to what being _mortal_ is like."

"So, it's alright with you if we handed you to Thor?" Steve asked Loki, who nodded in response. "I've heard the saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer and I have to agree that keeping Loki in our custody would help keep him out of trouble."

"Seriously?" Tony whined. "Doesn't anyone in this room care about my lunch? And fine, I don't care anymore. Loki can come with me to Stark towers."

"Okay." Banner sighed.

"You've got to be kidding me." Clint face-palmed. "He'll slit my throat before you know it. Goodbye world."

"You said it, this is worse than Budapest." Natasha winced.

**"BROTHER DID YOU HEAR THAT!"** Thor thundered, his booming voice echoed.

**"ALRIGHT!"** Fury shouted just as loud.

He turned and pressed the panel. "I'm putting Loki in your custody because you better, damn right, watch him or I'll all kick your ass personally. He cannot leave the building until I authorize it. Tom cannot leave it as well, unless there's someone watching him. I need to have cameras installed in every corner of the room and I want progress report of everything that's been happening! There so much trouble that happens, I will have all your heads. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nodded, Loki and Tom found themselves doing the same.

Off to Stark tower then.

* * *

**oOo**

When the Avengers left with Loki and Tom, Fury stood alone in the room until Agent Maria Hill came by handing out some papers. Agent Maria stood behind Fury, who was still pressing panel buttons, watching scientists work on the tesseract.

"You do know what you did is against what the people want."

"No choice." Fury muttered and heard a screeching noise on his earpiece.

Agent Maria also heard it, putting both their fingers on their earpiece, they patiently listened. The screen, flickered showing that the tesseract was yet again, active. Bad timing. The scientists were running away from the device as the screen flickered again, Fury was hoping that the connection won't be lost.

"Agent! What the hell is going on down there?"

_"S..r... P...ro... lem... ssera...t"_

"Agent, repeat that. Your signal is off." Fury shouted as he saw the tesseract open a huge portal in the base. "Damn it."

_"Sir, the tesseract!"_

"I know that Agent, report!"

_"Nobody wa... touching it, we were monitoring..sshhhh... -nd got a sss-pike. It activated and we're evacuating the premises. Nobody's injured, Sir. But we don't know how to contain the tesseract."_

"Careful, get everyone out safely. Prepare some SHIELD Agents when their done and wait for an explo-"

The tesseract exploded again and shot someone out of the portal. The man slid across the concrete, unconscious but breathing. Fury eyed the monitor, to see a blonde giant, he knew all too well.

Fury turned to Agent Maria. "Call in Dr. Selvig and his team." Fury went back to eying the screen. SHIELD Agents surrounded the blonde man on the floor.

"Inform Stark of his other, guest. Make sure he gets the message."

* * *

**oOo**

Agent Maria had called in Dr. Selvig and his team immediately after the incident occurred and contacted Agent Romanov. The blonde man from before was taken to the medical room until Tony got the message of the mans arrival. For now, the man will be under SHEILD's care. Natasha was called out of Stark towers for pick-up after finishing her lunch, she didn't really inform any of the Avengers of her whereabouts thanks to Fury.

Her duty was to take Dr. Selvig and his team to the helicarrier for some added research.

Once she got them into the helicarrier, she immediately ditched them to find their own way because of Fury's orders. The Agent that interrogated Tom was ordered to assist Dr. Selvig and his team to the room where the tesseract was held for observation.

Dark haired guy with the sunglasses, full black suit. His body was big and buff but hidden very well by the suit, he also has a thick jaw lining through his face. He looked really intimidating and albeit, a little annoying. He walked up to the three waiting in the hallway where Natasha left them.

"Sir." The Agent nodded at them, sunglasses beaming the light. "My name is Agent Blake, Sir."

"Nice to meet you."

"I'm here to take you and, your team to the tesseract. I will also be informing you of the information we've gathered about the incident yesterday. Will it be alright with you if I discussed it on the way to the tesseract?"

"Thank you." Erik nodded. "Call me, Erik, that's Jane and Darcy."

"Hey, um, Agent." Darcy eyed the man. "Do you always wear sunglasses even indoors?"

"..."

Blake didn't give any sign that he heard. Darcy frowned, she was only having a little fun. She hated boring people and much more those from SHIELD. They were the ones that always pry in peoples business even if it's not theirs to pry. Darcy frowned at the man, well, he's off her nice list. Permanently.

"Aw, fine. I'll answer for you, probably because you want to look cool." She muttered, averting her gaze elsewhere.

"Like all you other SHIELD Agents..."

Erik had managed to tell Jane and Darcy about what happened with SHIELD earlier about Loki and that portal. He managed to make conclusions of his own but they always went to a dead end. Darcy believed Erik but Jane was just, pissed. Especially after learning that it was Loki's counterpart that came through the portal. Hearing Loki destroy half of New York was just a big news.

Jane was angry for the destruction caused in New York, it was even worse than what happened in New Mexico.

She didn't care if Loki was a god or not, he tried to have Thor killed by that machine from Asgard and attempted to rule earth himself, thus creating the so-called Avengers team. Jane hadn't seen Thor since, she only saw him fighting in the news.

She swore that if she ever got her hands on Loki's throat, she'll try and kill him or ask him why he wanted to kill Thor. Thor, never really did say or explained. Since he left in such a rush back to Asgard and when he came back, he went straight to SHIELD and stayed there, without giving a single word.

Jane understood it though, Thor was a god, he had better things to do like save the world from his evil adopted brother, but it wouldn't hurt to say hello once in a while. Maybe she'd get a chance later on when they meet him. Surely, he's in SHIELD right now? Or, in Stark's Tower, wherever, she'd find a way to talk to him.

Erik on the other hand, didn't really pay into mind about Thor. He was more worried with Loki, the man controlled him like a puppet and had him do terrible things to have earth ruled. Erik was now, more cautious than ever. He told Jane numerous times to stop thinking about Thor and more about his brother and the tesseract.

But she just won't listen.

"Are you absolutely serious Erik?" Jane screeched. "This isn't some kind of joke, is it?"

"No, Jane!" Erik muttered as they walked through the hallways of SHIELD.

"Erik!"

"I swear that Thor's brother or counterpart just came out of the portal. I'm trying to figure out what went wrong with the tesseract but, I'm sure that they'll tell us eventually."

"He's not the only one who came out of the tesseract." Agent Blake never turned back and kept a straight walk. Erik, Jane and Darcy followed swiftly.

"Dr. Banner and Thor states that whoever was near the blast radius of the tesseract is affected by it. The one holding it was our good and evil Norse gods. Tony Stark was said to have been very near it. So far, the theory proves true."

"What? Are you saying there's more?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ms. Foster."

"Are they really from another type of universe or realm from what Thor says or are they artificial copies, like-like that-doubles or duplicates, a carbon copy. Surely, there's theories from things like that, right?"

"It's Thor's double." Agent Blake pressed the elevator door and pressed the down button."He was found after the tesseract activated an hour ago. He's sleeping in the medical room."

"Another Thor?" Darcy smiled, then teased. "If he has the same body, wow, Jane will have another nosebleed."

"Apparently," Agent Blake continued. "Director Fury wished me to tell you that it's both Loki and Thor that came in contact with the tesseract, therefore both their counterparts arrived. Also, Tom, the name of the other Loki. Is in the care of Tony Stark. The other Thor is in our custody."

"Whoa? Really, the rich famous guy?" Darcy smiled. "The, Tony Stark! Can I meet him? I've tried to find him on facebook and he won't even accept my friend request."

"You have Thor's counterpart?" Erik became curious. "Is this why we're called? To help figure out how to send them back home."

"Yes."

"Wait, what about Thor's brother? Loki?" Jane never wasted a breath, or a question. "He's secured isn't he. He won't be able to hurt anyone, right? After what he did to earth and declaring war, he's imprisoned for his criminal act."

"He is with Tony Stark, Thor has been given full responsibility to watch over them." Agent Blake stopped walking. "Apparently, Director Fury has refused to speak with this to the board of directors. The council. This is beyond, experimentation and without proper clearance for such acts. Illegal, perhaps."

"Council? What council?" Erik's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

Agent Blake ignored Erik's questions.

"It proves time theories. It was also said that in their world, we're just simple 'Movie' characters. All of our lives are just fiction. None of it is real. And that we are merely actors and actresses paid a great fee."

"That's another weird possible theory." Jane nodded at Agent Blake. "But It could be real, there's other types of alternative worlds where different possibilities happen. Like, I could be a superhero myself in another world. There are numerous books out there that say the same things of other life, alternate universes and realms and such- that's a big discovery!"

"Right, we have to focus more on Loki and his double as well as Thor's." Erik concluded. "Jane."

"What does Thor's brother look like?" Darcy asked, trying to divert the Agent from talking. "Is he hot?"

"W-what?" Jane's eyes widened.

"You heard me."

"D-darcy! Why would you even think that? He declared a stupid war here on earth. Why would you even wonder if he's hot or not?"

"He looks the same only his hair is curlier." Erik shook his head at the girls. "Look, I saw him come out of the portal, I'm only stating what I saw."

"And I'm just asking. 'Sides, you have Thor." Darcy smirked and pointed at her bag. "I still have the taser. If he comes near me, I can shoot him. No harm done. I can take care of myself."

"We're not doing that." Erik muttered and rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"But if he does do something wrong with us just like what he did to me before, you can go ahead and be my guest. And keep him the hell away from me. All I'm saying is that, I have no clue what 'Loki's' counterpart acts like. I left when he was transported to the helicarrier."

"We'll find out, they said they need us to help." Jane smiled, hoping to see Thor.

Natasha appeared at the other hallway, intercepting them. She told Agent Blake to leave and that she'll handle things herself. Natasha didn't trust the guy at all.

She quickly turned the other hallway while the three of them followed in silence. Erik grew weary of the situation. Where was Agent Romanov taking them? They should have been in the basement of the helicarrier by now. He knew a little about the helicarrier but he knew this was not where they were suppose to go.

"Where are you taking us?" Erik whispered as Natasha stood in front of the door. "Agent? I asked you question."

"Fury's orders."

"Excuse me?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"He said that you might be able to talk to Thor's counterpart." Natasha held the doorknob. "Thor knows you best, so Fury thinks you can do it. I object to the force interaction, but Loki's double isn't getting off easy, and neither will he, whatever his name is."

"Why don't you ask someone else?" Erik half-shouted. "Why us? We're not your Agents. We're simple people wanting to discover things. We're only here to figure out the tesseract, not, talk to other beings. He could be dangerous."

"And you will discover something, Dr. Selvig." Natasha narrowed her eyes. "Fury wouldn't let anybody else get near the guy." Natasha jabbed a thumb at the door. "He's awake but nobody's talked to him yet about how he got here."

"So he's not dangerous?" Darcy whispered.

"So far," Natasha continued, ignoring them. "Video feeds show he's sitting there thinking. He woke up an hour after getting thrown out the portal. Ms. Foster could ease the tension, Fury said you had a small yet growing relationship with Thor."

"W-wait you want me to..." Jane blushed a little.

"Yes, Ms. Foster. That is what we want."

"But this isn't Thor." Jane panicked. "I can handle Thor, but this guy isn't even from here. Who's to say that I was even in his life? What am I suppose to say to him?"

"How about 'sorry for hitting you with my car'? thing." Darcy spoke from the sidelines. "That could work again."

"That's different. He's not Thor"

"At some point in life, he was Thor." Natasha shook her head. "I'm not getting paid enough to do this, if Clint saw me now, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Never hurt to try, Ms. Foster." Natasha unlocked the door. "I'll come back in a few minutes. We'll be watching through the hidden surveillance in the room, if you're ever attacked."

"B-but..."

"Break it to him slowly and try not to over do it. I'll be back in a few minutes to bring him to Stark's tower for a reunion with, Tom, Loki's double. If you excuse me, I'll be waiting in the hallway. Be quick about it, Fury's not a patient man."

Natasha quickly left, the door slightly open, and three people completely shaking in anxiety. Jane took a deep breath and opened the door to Chris's room.

"Nat? Katie? And Sten?" Chris's eyes widened.

"H-hey..." Jane waved, Darcy and Erik followed. _"This is awkward. Okay what do I do? And what do I say? Come on, Jane. Your in a little relationship with a god, a simple look-alike talking to you won't hurt you.. oh, my, god!"_

"Why are you all here?" Chris questioned. "I would have thought Lilie would come here first. Did I get into an accident? No doctors have seen me, and I feel normal."

"You, kinda did get into an accident." Jane stared at him. _"He looks just like Thor, only more, human? Okay, doing good so far, now what..."_

"Are you okay?" Erik asked, trying to ease the tension and get a good conversation. "I mean, you were..."

"My back's in a little pain." Chris laughed a little. "Lilie's gonna be worried about me, and the baby. Oh, what am I going to do? Which hospital am I in? There's nothing serious about me is there? Any, paparazzi outside, what? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Definitely not, Thor." Darcy nudged Jane. "Is that our names? Who's Nat and Lilie? And a baby?"

"Umm, look." Jane smiled and walked towards Chris. "Y-you okay?"

"I'm fine, Nat." Chris smiled back at her. "Have you seen my cell phone? I'm going to call Lilie, how long was I asleep again?"

"An hour." Darcy piped up. "And we don't know where your phone is. Sorry."

"Oh, Thanks Katie."

'Oho..." Darcy turned to Erik and smirked. "So, I'm Katie. You must be, Ste-eeenn!"

"This is not happening." Erik shook his head. "Why did I have to be a scientist?"

"You're all acting, strange. I feel fine, if that's what you're all worrying about. I was heading to my car when this bright light appeared. My back hurts a bit, though. A-are you guys alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Umm..."

Chris waved a hand to them to get all their attention, it was odd they were acting that way. Way too in character for Chris's liking. It was as if he was in a weird dream. He kinda liked it, he always wondered what would happen if he were to go to that kind of world.

_Odd._ _Is he?_ He wondered.

"Don't be alarmed but," Jane sighed. "You're not from this world."

"I've heard that many times before, from the scripts." Chris gave out a toothy grin. "Now's really not the time to talk about work."

"I don't know how to explain this to you, but it's true." Jane walked to the edge of the bed.

"What's true?"

"The people here in SHIELD, just told me to talk to you and I don't know how to, so I'm doing my best, so we could get out of here, fast! What's your name again, because I don't want to call you 'Thor's double or duplicate.' Do you even-understand a word I'm saying?"

"You're kinda procrastinating in fear." Darcy whispered. "Kinda."

"If it's a joke, it's funny. You guys got me. Great joke. I always like a good laugh."

Chris smiled and threw the sheets away, he hung his feet on the edge. His hair was tied back, he was wearing blue-grey polo shirt and black pants and shoes. He took a moment to ponder where he was and saw that he was in SHIELD's medical room. The very same one Sharlotte and Jeremiah acted out that very one scene together.

_"Their acting, out of the ordinary. I wonder what's wrong?"_

He eyed Jane, Darcy and Erik, they don't look like they were going to greet him or tell him what was going on. He looked for cameras instead, hoping this wasn't just a prank gone wrong, he played a joke on Tom and Rob once and was a bit scared that they might take their revenge.

"This is a joke right?" Chris wondered, his voice a little panicked than he intended to. "W-what's going on? How did I get here?"

"You got here through the tesseract, lad." Erik pointed out.

"Tesseract?"

"Your brother, Loki- or uh...Tom, he's here too. With the others from the Avengers. We're not lying, it's true. I'm Dr. Erik Selvig. That's Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis."

Chris shook his head.

"Tom's been missing from his interview, it was all over the news, yesterday. No, I can't believe it. This isn't real, how can you explain or even joke about this, mate? To even, take me away from my wife and kid for some silly joke."

"You're wife and kid?" Darcy's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you're married. Seriously?"

"Look, please calm down." Jane raised both arms. "I swear we're telling the truth, why would you even be in SHIELD's helicarrier if it weren't real. Why would we even be here trying to talk to you if it was a lie? We don't go joking around. It's true."

"You cannot honestly, expect me to believe this. Are you?" Chris was a little worried that all this might be too real for his liking. "Oh, god. What the hell happened?"

"I told you." Erik placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's not something to take in so easily. To believe that I'm in a world that doesn't really exist. That's just hard to believe coming from someone that's not suppose to be real." Chris back-fired.

"The tesseract brought you here," Erik sighed. "Because Loki and Thor were exposed to the gamma radiation, and creating this portal and all that other damn thing SHIELD likes to keep secret. Try to understand, uh, what's your name?"

"Chris..." He closed his eyes and clasped his hands. "Chris Worth."

"Nice name." Jane smiled and wondered how much they can ask. "Age?"

"29."

"Oh, young." Darcy smirked. "So you're married."

"Yes, I am. And I have a kid too, just... look. Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, just as long as we can answer it." Erik nodded.

"Is that why Tom was missing? Because of the tesseract." Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Can you keep going?" Jane wondered. "We can't really answer without knowing. Hmm.."

"The police," Chris eyed them. "Said that there were no break-ins in his hotel room. That he suddenly disappeared without a trace right before his interview. Is that the reason why?"

"We don't know about the interview." Darcy said.

"Oh." Chris frowned.

"But we do know that he came out of the tesseract just like you did. And we were ordered around by SHIELD Agents to talk to you and stuff and here we are. Yay!" Darcy said sarcastically as Chris rubbed his temples.

"Aw, man, it's real." Chris took a deep breath.

"That's what we've been trying to tell you." Darcy grinned.

"Let's say I believe you." Chris paused. "And I'll do what you want, if and only if, I could be granted something in return."

"Depends, what to you suggest?" Erik squinted his eyes.

"Could I see, Tom?"

"Yes, you can. And you're free to go, Mr. Worth."

A voice coming from the door spoke, and startled everyone in the room. There was Natasha, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. She was smiling and Chris could only stare at her. This was not something he ever expected.

* * *

**oOo**

Loki and Tom were sitting next to each other on Tony's couch. Thor was seated on one of the kitchen chairs, facing Loki, eying their conversation. Clint, Banner and Steve sat next to him, listening in on the question and answer portion and mostly looking after Loki, so he won't do anything bad.

Natasha gone moments later when lunch ended. Something about having to go pick someone up but she didn't say why. Clint was a little pissed that he was staying in the tower babysitting the evil bad guy, but at least he had his friends with him.

Tony was standing behind the couch, one arm draped on it and the other holding a drink. They could hear the whole conversation, but they didn't speak so much as to anger the _Norse god_. They haven't seen Loki this, curious about earth, especially when he's not out to destroy it.

He seemed, _sane_.

Thor said that Loki was a little like Tony himself, always loved discovering a few things. And that's the reason why Tony's so near the god that he isn't swatted away so easily. And they both verbally match each other. Both wits and an annoying thrive for mischief along the way.

Tom just sat there with his drink, watching Tony and Loki battle it out with words and how much they know about the universe. With Tony, knowing so much about science and Loki about the realms and magic that is unknown to humans.

They finished lunch a few minutes ago and before the verbal fight began again, JARVIS had decided to intervene. Relaying them a message from Fury. Silence.

_Sir._

"Yeah, JARVIS, what is it?" Tony drank, looking at Loki who was staring at the ceiling.

_Sir. Director Fury relayed a message that another man had come out of the tesseract as predicted by Dr. Banner. Shall I show you the video feed?_

"Go ahead, JARVIS."

"Might I ask before we watch, where the voice had come from?" Loki kept staring at the ceiling like he was trying to find out where it came from.

_"Is this really Loki?" _Tony eyed. _"I wonder what everyone else thinks." _Before Tony could speak and answer Loki's question, Tom beat him to it.

"It's JARVIS." Tom smiled. "It's Tony's computer, it's wired around the house. It talks when it's important. That about right?"

"A little." Tony smirked. "It's nothing, don't worry princess. You'll get used to it."

"I don't suppose you're implying that I stay here longer, Stark?" Loki smirked at Tony, who shivered at the look.

"Hey now, no flirting." Tony chuckled. "That's evil, more evil than what you did. If I didn't know better, you kinda like me- you do- don't you?"

"I am merely stating." Loki shrugged. "And if by liking you, is throwing you out the window, then yes, I do like you."

"Now that's mean." Tony pouted.

"Tony Stark, this video." Thor piped up from the side, he, Clint, Banner and Steve walked up closer that they were behind the couch. "Will you show it to us?"

"JARVIS, video feed."

_Yes, Sir. This happened approximately 1hour 34 minutes and 18 seconds ago._

Tom was drinking while they were watching this and when the tesseract exploded and out came a blonde man, Tom nearly choked on his drink. Tony began to pat him in the back while the others stared in confusion. Loki was quite curious that this other Thor, nearly killed him by just being thrown out of the portal. What kind of relationship do they even have. Tom went into a hoarse coughing fit until it stopped and he managed to relax.

"You, okay? That wasn't really what we expected." Steve spoke up.

"That's Chris." Tom winced at the pain on his chest from the choking.

"Chris?" Thor raised his eyebrows. "Tis my counterpart, coming here to join us. I wish to meet him. I would love to know more about him."

"Is that really him?" Tom frowned but later turned to smile. "Guess I won't be alone after all."

"What do you mean?" Loki turned to questioning him. "What's your relationship with each other? That you saw fit to choke when you saw him."

"Just _shocked_." Tom blushed a little. "We're... well... The two of us work together and-"

_Sir. Might I relay you another message from Director Fury. It is of utter most important._

"Go ahead JARVIS." Tony and the others waited.

_Director Fury has gotten information about the man, his name is Chris Worth, Sir. He is approximately 29 years old. He is also married, from what he speaks of a child and a wife. He also spoke of Agent Romanov coming to bring him to Stark towers later._

"Is that why Natasha left?" Clint's eyes widened. "Well that's just great, as if two gods aren't enough! I mean, seriously? As if it wasn't enough..."

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Tom made a face.

"Ignore him." Banner smiled.

"Hey, JARVIS, can you get me other details about what's happening in SHIELD. Other video feeds or calls, messages from Fury?"

_There was a call, Sir, made an hour ago before we were contacted. They have called in expert, Dr. Erik Selvig, and his team, Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, to explore the tesseract's capabilities._

"**Jane is there!**" Thor raised his hammer. **"I must go and see her!"**

"That would not be wise Thor." Loki smirked, attempting one of his games. "You would not want to leave me in the hands of these mortals would you, and alone with Tom for that matter. You do remember what happened last time I was left alone."

"Aye, that would be bad." Thor frowned. "Then I shall see her another time."

Loki shook his head. "I cannot bear another Thor in my life."

"Chris isn't all that bad." Tom smiled at the Avengers and Loki.

"Why?" Steve wondered. "How different is he from Thor?"

"You'll see when you meet him. I'm just happy I won't be in all this alone. At least he'll get to experience the feeling. Though I wonder how he'll take the _'your not from this world' _speech_.'_"

"From Natasha?" Clint shook his head. "Hell. Just plain hell."

"Oh, that's gotten me excited." Tony almost jumped for joy.

"Why?" Tom wondered, so did the others.

"If Thor's done, I get to meet my other double next. Isn't that so much fun. Hey, Tom? What's my other double like? Is he smart, come on tell me, I want to know. Is he good looking like me- famous- rich- playboy- philanthropist? Come on!"

"I will take it, you won't like him, but your friends will." Tom smirked from his drink.

"Excuse me? What did you just say, Tom? I won't like him."

"Just a bit of fun, I won't spoil." Tom looked the other way, god this was fun.

"..." Silence, then Tom chuckled.

"Same way I won't spoil Thor and Loki's fun. You got to meet me without any clues as to what I was like. Why would I ruin it for the others. Besides, it's fun to get to know a person, isn't that right? You're all trying to get to know me?"

"You evil person. You sound almost like Loki." Clint frowned. "Now I'm starting to worry."

"I told you, it's just a bit of fun." Tom mumbled. "It's not until later that he will arrive. So patience."

_"Amazing how this Mortal could conjure such chaos without doing damage."_ Loki thought. _"He is also good with words. I haven't asked him questions of his life yet, but perhaps later. I would be able to do so."_

"If Tom's nice, I suppose the others won't hurt." Steve mumbled. "I'm worried about Tony. We don't really need someone like that..."

"Aw Cap, now your just putting me down."

"Might I interfere and ask questions then." Loki frowned. "You are, after all ruining my own fun. If you rather, I cause trouble than question, I am up for that as well."

"Ask away." Clint raised his hand. " But do remember he's killed innocent people."

They all surrounded Loki and Tom, both of them feeling a little uncomfortable with the closeness but they were sure the other were curious as well. So Tom straightened himself and his jacket and eyed Loki.

"You ask first." Tom smiled. "I'll ask when Chris gets here, he has a lot of questions too."

"Fine... then I will begin..." Loki took a deep breath. "How much do you know about me?"

* * *

**oOo**

They stared at each other for a moment. Tom placed his drink down on the table and searched for something in the eyes of the Avengers. There he saw that they were just as curious as Loki was. He took a deep breath, knowing this could end up somewhat horrible, he said it anyway.

"I know a lot about your life, but half of it, I know not whether it is true or a lie." Tom turned to Loki, who didn't have anything in response. "I could tell you what I know but that would be a little like asking whether it's true or not, it depends if you'll answer them truthfully though."

Loki flinched slightly after hearing those words come out of Tom's mouth. The mortal knew so much about him yet at the same time, knew little of the truth and lies among the facts. Loki averted his gaze from Tom, pondering over his question before speaking.

"And what is it that you knew that is the truth?" Loki narrowed his eyes. "I wish to know the things you've seen and heard. You are an actor, are you not?"

Tom nodded as Loki continued. "Then you have acted my part in life, what do you know?"

Tom turned to the others who were watching. "Are you sure they want to hear this? Because we could, talk elsewhere if this is too personal."

"**No can do!**" Tony shook his head. "If he's staying in my place, I have the right to hear this. Besides, we're not letting little princess here out of our sight. He's done enough damage already."

"I get to hear it as well, as I grew up with him." Thor raised his head proudly.

"I need to know too." Banner and Clint spoke.

"It's settled, we're hearing the story." Steve sat next to Loki as he was tired of just standing there.

Loki was pinned in the middle by Tom and Steve. Tony won't sit down and was behind the couch just hovering a little over Tom. Thor had settled himself on the small 2 step stairs next to the couch along with Clint and Banner. Loki shook his head, he did not want this but he had to deal with it so he could obtain answers he wished to seek.

Loki glared at Steve, but the man did not inch away. Loki rolled his eyes and turned to Tom. "If you could continue. That would be much appreciated."

"I know about Odin," Loki flinched and Thor moved uncomfortably in his seat.

"And how he took you away from Jotunheim when you were a baby. I knew about your heritage being the prince of Jotunheim and Asgard, but you are more known as the second prince to where you grew up in. Thor's banishment, I also know about. And the treatment you received in your time growing up."

"We know he was adopted, but the prince of another realm." Tony's eyes widened. "Who knew about that? Thor, why didn't you tell us?"

"What is there to tell?" Thor frowned.

"He is right." Loki glanced at Thor. "If you wish to know then I will be honest. I do not like to be related to the _Jotuns_. I hate the form that I change into when I touch something very _cold_. I also **hate** them for reasons of giving me up during my _birth_. Other reasons, I'd like to keep for myself."

"Well, there is something about Odin too that gives me the creeps." Tony spoke up. "Don't you think he was being hard when he banished Thor to this world. And I don't know, I've read a few Norse myths and I don't know how to describe him actually."

"You do not know my father well enough." Thor piped up. "He is a wise king."

"But not wise enough." Tom could hear the disgust in Loki's voice.

"Could you continue, Tom?" Clint waved a hand to him. "Just so we could finish, I want to question you too."

"Very well." Tom looked at the ceiling. "If you want to know, when I acted my role in the movie as 'Loki', I found it slightly hard to tamper into that broken soul."

_"Broken? I am not broken, slightly, yes... but completely?"_ Loki stared as Tom continued to speak. Everyone stared at him as he told his story. Curious as to what the truths are in his world.

"I tried to relate some of it in my own life so I could get a good edge on the characters feelings. When I realized that I found it easy to do it, when I read about your life and did it, I felt great sympathy to Loki. I don't think he's the monster everyone thinks he is."

"He destroyed half of New York!" Clint raised his voice. "How can you feel sympathy?"

"How would you feel to be in the **shadow** of your own _brother_?" Tom raised his own voice. "What would you feel if you found out you were lied to all through out you life? As gods that meant thousands of years ago. He also became an outcast among Thor's friends, was constantly teased for magic and for his little mischief."

_"You do know a lot about me."_ Loki lowered his head as he whispered._ "Annoying mortal, I do not wish to hear this any longer. I know my life."_

"I'm not justifying or defending what he did." Tom raised a hand and pointed at Clint.

"I'm only trying to point out that he suffered for so long, that he was at his limit already. To learn the truth in an awful way and for Odin to go to Odin-sleep when Loki needed his explanation the most was just downright horrible!"

_"This mortal speaks the truth."_ Loki closed his eyes and placed a hand to his face. _"It is undesirably, comforting to have someone, defend, my rights or rather understand them, the least."_

The others were too busy protesting to everything Tom said about Loki, they couldn't even believe that he speaks the truth. Loki wished for this to stop, or wished it had never even started. He regrets that he ever asked that question. He hated talking about things like this, but at least it wasn't him talking.

Perhaps this was something intended in destiny. That someone else speak up for him, so that others may understand what he is going through. He stayed silent, hoping that some good would come out of it. He'll just speak up when he sees it fit.

"So you hate Odin too?" Banner questioned.

"I wanted to ask that too." Steve nodded.

"Father is kind." Thor spoke but all ignored him.

"So your biased because you acted Loki." Tony raised an eyebrow. "Because that's the only thing I'm getting there."

"No, I'm not biased. I just understand Loki better than any of you do. And I don't hate Odin, I just don't see reason as to why he did what he did. Especially when Loki decided to commit suicide. You knew this more than I do, Thor. I know it crossed your mind!"

Tom tried his best to calm down but he could feel what Loki was going through.

_"Such a mortal, defending my rights. It's all too good to be true. Worry not, I'll speak when I see fit."_ Loki raised his head, and turned to Thor and locked eyes with him.

"Fathers actions have purpose." Thor defended. "As to what he did by banishing me. I changed because of him. His actions have purpose, I believe that."

"But not all of them are wise." Tom countered. "If it weren't for Loki, you would still have been arrogant and stubborn as the man you were before."

"It was fath-"

Tom intervened. "Loki brought the _Frost giants_ into Asgard, on your coronation and you deemed it fit to attack Jotunheim because of the act when Loki only wanted Odin to see that you're not yet ready to rule!"

"I do not-"

"Loki did not know you were going to be banished and he was placed a great burden to rule over Asgard which he did not want." Tom pointed out.

"But-"

"He only wished to be your equal, he had said so numerous times in your encounter with each other. I don't understand why you still don't get it. And I'm slightly mad because you caused him to turn awry."

"But Loki did want power." Steve protested. "Isn't that why he wanted to rule earth?"

"Yeah, he also abused his throne from what we heard from Thor." Clint said.

"I did not want the throne." Loki raised his voice, eyes stared at him. "Nor do I wish to rule earth."

"Then why did you do it?" Tony questioned.

"I did so because earth is dear to Thor. I only wanted him to suffer my own pains." Loki turned away. "Asgard was the same way, I am not meant to rule any place. If I was thought of as a monster, I might as well play the part."

_Silence._

"Ruling Asgard wasn't what you want." Tom told him. "Right?"

"Mother, wanted me to do so because the Allfather was sleeping."

"Damn that Odin-sleep. I've read about that too, he sleeps when things go wrong." Tony half-shouted but was ignored by the rest. He sat next to Thor on the 2 step stairs.

Loki continued his own explanation, not knowing why he was doing this but Tom's words were so alluring that he felt the need to speak out. Tom was himself in a way, somewhere inside Tom, was a part of Loki etched inside. They were somewhat connected, different life different world, yet same person.

"Loki-" Tom whispered.

"Thor was still in banishment." Loki raised his head and turned to eye the Avengers. "I found it difficult to hold such a position when I am not ready to do so. All I've done was to help Thor understand what it takes to rule but-"

_"Brother..."_ Thor thought. _"I'm sorry I did not understand it the first time."_

"But things have changed and I do not wish for them to go back to the way they were." Loki glared. "I've learned my lessons not to repeat feeling sympathy towards others. The... Allfather never did truly love me like he loved his real '**Son**.' So leave it alone, Mortals!"

"Brother, I-"

"**Save it Thor!**" Loki shouted. "I do not want your pity! And I will never be your _brother_!"

Tony felt something hit the bottom of his stomach. Loki spatted the words '**Son**' and he could clearly see his own life flash back to the times of his own father. Clearly, they both have something in common. Tony was suppose to come up with a come back but was beaten by Tom which made a very great stir up in the room. They all listened in at what he had to say.

"If it makes you feel better," Tom smiled slightly. "In my world you're very well loved."

Tony, Steve, Clint, Banner and Thor eyed him as if he was speaking of the end of the world. Did they hear right? Heck, even Loki was shocked by the thought of it. He pondered it a bit more but couldn't really grasp it.

Tom chuckled his 'hiddle laugh.'

"It's true." Tom raised his eyebrows. "You don't believe me?"

"Why do you say so?" Loki had a blank look on him and thought. "Weird Mortal. The foolishness in his words, how can mortals love me for what they know I did. That is impossible and unsettling."

"It's all over Tumblr or the internet, or any other roaming network in the entire world, you name it."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Tony face-palmed.

"You do not expect me to believe this, do you, mortal?" Loki frowned, was it all a lie to get him to open-up?

"You have fans that love you," Tom smiled. "And understand what you mean by being alone, being adopted or other stuff like that. They could grasp that energy you're giving out. Besides, who doesn't love a good villain."

"You're crazy." Tony blinked. "So, he has fans? Why? Do I have fans? Because if I do, then I'm totally awesome in both worlds. So, tell me. I hate waiting and being handed things but I guess you already know that."

"Yes, you have fans but we're talking about Loki." Tom shook his head, the smile never left his lips.

"Aye, we should continue." Thor said fiddling with Mjolnir.

"If Thor's counterpart, was well..." Tom licked his lips. "If Chris was here, he'd defend Loki too. The two of us have talked about your lives more than once. We did act it out, we have a few questions ourselves and opinions. You should hear his opinions too."

"Might I ask?" Loki frowned at this. "What is Thor like in your world?"

"You're asking that?" Clint's eyes widened. "Didn't think you cared."

"I do not!" Loki spatted and hissed at him. "I am merely curious! Are you not?"

"I told you, it's a surprise." Tom smiled.

"I shall ask a different question then." Loki rested his head on the couch, still annoyed. "I do not wish to ponder on this topic any longer. I find it uttermostly unsettling."

"Fine with me." Tom took a sip from his drink. "But we could resume the conversation about Thor and you later when Chris gets here, the more the merrier."

"I wonder what relationship those two mortal have that he speaks so great." Thor shook his head. "Continue! I wish to hear it as well!"

"What is it like in your world?" Loki hit a jackpot question, the Avengers were thinking of the same thing.

"What do you mean?" Tom tilted his head. "It's the same, just that you're all fictional and not real."

"He probably means if there's SHIELD or other things that's the same here." Banner spoke up. "Or, things with World War II or the attacks or experimentation, Government things."

"Oh, that." Tom smirked and started laughing.

Tony could feel himself getting anxious. What the hell was Tom hiding from them, and why the hell does he feel comfortable with Loki while the rest of them feel, violated and disturbed? Steve flinched at the mention of World War II but he had to admit he was curious about Red Skull and his plans. Clint was just plain curious what was in their world. Banner did it for science and theory or any other thing he could think of. Thor was wondering if there was another Asgard in Tom's world but he cancelled it out when he figured that Tom was mortal and that his other self was mortal. Asgard did not exists, it was but a myth.

Now this got everyone curious.

Loki frowned at the sight of his laughing double. He seemed so carefree, he had thought of another question that might dismantle the easiness that Tom was feeling. He was just hoping that the opportunity came soon enough, he did not want to be humiliated further.

"One things for sure, there are no helicarriers in my world." Tom grinned.

"Okay..." Tony could almost sweat-drop.

"No holo-screens yet, working on it maybe but not much introduced, only in the movies. Um, Captain America didn't really fight with Red Skull in the War, actually, there isn't any Red Skull at all."

"No?" Steve's eyes widened. "You're serious?"

"Yes, I'll spoil." Tom smiled. "In my world, your name is Evans C. you're the same age as me. You grew up in the modern world. No fighting from the past and being in ice. All that."

"Oh." Steve blinked. "That makes sense."

"There are no superhero's in our world. No hero, just modern people saving lives." Tom looked at them.

"The bad guys?" Clint wondered. "What about them?"

"Villains, are just simple criminals committing their acts of rebellion. Heroes are the police or others that keep peace. We have CIA and certain alien sighting on Area 51, but we're not sure if it's true or there's a cover story. But no, we don't have a genius billionaire that makes his own set of suits and armor. No, Thor or Hulk."

"Oh my god! You spoiled my fun!" Tony pointed at Tom. "So, in your world, I'm not a genius and I'm not rich! That's just horrible, I-"

"I didn't say that."

"You implied it, same thing." Tony rolled his eyes.

"No, and if what you said is true then your double is next. Robert will talk with you just fine, besides he's like you in many ways but he's not the rude type. You're not so rude when you try to be nice though, never mind." Tom smiled again, this was so much fun.

"Spoil-sport!" Tony couldn't resist sticking his tongue out.

"You're such a child, Stark." Loki rolled his eyes. "Why can you not act your age?"

"Why can't you?" Tony retorted.

"Pathetic mortal! I could still kill you with my bare hands if I wished! Do not take me so lightly just because I am curious!" Loki hissed.

"Don't give me that tone! And I still don't trust you!"

"Do you have more questions for me, your highness?" Tom smirked at Loki, intervening at just the right time before a fight ensued.

But before Loki could talk, Thor beat him to it. The God of Thunder raised his hammer and jabbed it to Tom.

"How do you handle being a mortal?" Thor shouted. "I wish to know! It is not easy to be so, requiring sustenance all the time and sleep and you grow weary in time."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Loki growled.

Tom blinked as Loki continued to ask his question.

"Well, are you going to answer? Might I add something else, are you married and what is your life like or how did you get into your acting business? I am quite curious to know, it is not always that I get to do such questioning."

"No duh." Tony shook his head. "Could you? We're all curious here. It'll help ease up the tension, besides, we're already starting to get to know you. Might as well know all of it, just to prove that you're not another Loki and that you're actually safe to be with."

"You are not implying that you bed with my double?" Loki wondered.

Tom and Steve blushed crimson, Clint and Banner laughed. Thor's eyes widened and ready to strike at Tony. Tony raised his arms in defense. "**NO THOR! THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M IMPLYING! YOUR ****DAMN BROTHER TWISTED MY WORDS!"**

"Keep your thoughts and hands to yourself, Man of Iron! If you still wish to live." Thor sat back down as Clint and Banners laugh subsided.

"Yeah and Tony's itching to find out." Clint placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hand.

"Do you mind?" Loki stared blankly.

"I knew this would come eventually." Tom shook his head.

Tom took a deep breath, at least when he's done he could get the trust of these people. It was hard enough talking about Loki's life, which he feels a huge part of his own, but of his true life, to talk about it, was something he never thought of doing. Everyone was staring at him, he was sure that JARVIS was taping all of this, this is Stark's tower and JARVIS had every bit of control here. Tom sighed, no use getting away with it. He bit his lips and placed the drink down and began his only little life story.

"I was born in California. My mother loves art and anything interesting in that field. My father was a scientist."

"Scientist?" Tony's face wrinkled. "No wonder you talk smart."

"As I was saying, I grew up being the middle child and when I was 10, I went to study but my parents were already going through divorce. It wasn't easy and I found myself loving acting because I thought that it could help me with my emotions. Spending time in school helps me get away from the problems back home and about my parents divorce."

"Bummer dude." Clint frowned. "Didn't think it was that, you know. 10 man, that was... wow. Bad luck."

"Sorry to hear that." Steve muttered loudly enough for them to hear. "Sorry for-"

"Don't be," Tom said. "It was my choice."

"So you do understand Loki in a way. Sorry we doubted you." Tony mumbled. "I mean, with the whole family thing going on with you, you feel somewhat..."

"Unloved? I know I was loved." Tom took a sip from his drink. "I didn't need them to say it."

"There's someone out there who loves us no matter what." Banner said. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly." Tom finished his drink.

_Silence again._

It was starting to feel too personal, but he was different from Loki. He wished to prove that to the Avengers.

"I didn't need confirmation for that. I knew it all too well. But I was 13 at the time, still too young to understand so much in life. But I learned to let go. Things don't always work out the way you want them too but when my career raised to a high level, I was grateful for the opportunities."

"You do come of almost the same as I." Loki looked into Tom's eyes. "To play my character, you looked into yourself. Is that right?"

"True, and one of the things why I can sympathize with you." Tom smiled. "Any more questions because I want to ask a few myself. And I'm starting to feel a bit pushed for pressure here.

"I wanted to know if-"

Before Tom could ask the elevator opened only to reveal Natasha and Chris. Everyone's eyes widened as the other Thor emerged from the elevator looking so casual. Tom stood up and eyed Chris just as he did to Tom. The silence was nerve-wracking. Loki saw how different this Thor was, he was calmer, and much more human than his brother will ever be. Natasha was smirking at the side as she walked past Banner and went to sit next to Clint.

"Fill me in later." Natasha smiled.

Chris eyed the avengers and Loki sitting around but what got to him was Tom, who was standing there, staring at him. Chris felt his lips curving upright and his body all tingly in excitement. He wanted to run and hug the man, today was confusing but now, he had someone to share the misery.

"T-tom? Is that you?" Chris questioned.

* * *

**oOo**

Tony frowned. "JARVIS! Why didn't you warn us that they were coming?"

_I'm sorry, Sir. But Agent Romanov distinctly said that I keep my mouth shut and surprise you. I believe the results are what she had expected._

"Don't get cute with me." Tony rolled his eyes. "Hey, other Thor and you." He pointed at Natasha. "Come join the feasting of stories and questions too personal for my own liking."

"Hey, Nat..." Clint raised a hand.

"Clint." Natasha muttered.

Chris and Tom stood there eying each other until Chris breaks the silence and starts laughing. Tom smiled at Chris, he was hoping this wouldn't start out this way but, oh well. Things are never normal in this world, the saying _'make the best of it'_ still stands.

Loki and Thor's eyes widened at the sight of Chris laughing and Tom shaking his head.

What was the mortal laughing about?

They couldn't quite grasp the situation yet, must be a mortal thing. Tony stared in disbelief, the man looked a lot like Thor but was as casual as Tom was. Steve couldn't really say anything at the moment. Clint and Natasha just waited for something to happen while Banner was taking down some notes about their behavior and how different they are from the Norse gods in the room.

Loki had enough. "What are you laughing about?"

Chris thought it was Tom who said it and ceased his laughing. He pointed at Tom and the silence began again, it was eerie and devoid.

Then he spoke up, voice as loud as Thor's was, only calmer and more human.

"Can you see yourself?" Chris grinned.

"And, your point?" Tom stared blankly.

"You're talking with Loki and the avengers, it's not something you do everyday is it? Or are you simply doing this for the fun of it?"

"You caught me." Tom smiled in return.

"I did, and?"

"It was fun while it lasted." Tom shrugged. "You don't seem to be taking this so hard. If I know better, you're being cautious about it."

"I have thought that you might have played a joke on me. For payback." Chris chuckled. "After what I did to you, I thought you would've attacked by now."

Now everyone was curious as to what the two, out of this world mortals, were talking about. They grasped the words 'joke' and 'attacked' but they couldn't quite get what they're saying. The silence still eerie until Tom took a pillow from the couch and made sure it was strong enough. Everyone blinked, what were they up to? Tom grinned mischievously.

Tony had one thought, this was going to end up in chaos!

"I wanted my revenge for that little joke." Tom averted his gaze slightly. "What?"

"Really? When are you going to do it?"

"Maybe I could do it now, since you don't really have any back-up with you."

"Well you seem to be so sure you can take me on." Chris smirked. "Don't think the avengers or Loki will help you. You're on your own, on this one."

"I won't need them. I'm more than enough."

"C'mon mate!" Chris hollered copying Thor. "What are you going to do? You are but a mere mortal."

"Last time I checked, so were you." Tom pointed, happily copying Loki.

Tony jumped onto the couch next to Loki, taking Tom's seat. He draped a hand to Loki's shoulders and Loki turned to glare at him. Tony raised an eyebrow and shook his head, turning to look at Tom who was still standing with the pillow at hand. Loki followed Tony's eyes and turned to stare as well.

"What do you think's going to happen?" Tony whispered. "He's you and Thor's him, you think their fighting over something?"

"It looks like it." Loki frowned. "Will you take your hand off me, Stark? It is unsettling."

"Why getting uncomfortable?" Tony winked.

"In honesty, yes, I am." Loki turned to Tony. "If I didn't know better, you are flirting with me."

"You didn't think I'd let you off easy with the 'I forgive you' basically, you owe me." Tony smirked, having a little fun won't hurt.

"What are you implying?" Loki's blank look was answer enough.

"NO! I'm not implying that! Pervert, geez! I'm saying that you help me learn about that magic of yours and I get to check how it works with technology. Learning and it's a discove-"

"I you wished to be thrown out of the window again, I will comply." Loki smirked. "And I will not agree that my magic should be tampered with."

"Fine, grumpy." Tony scowled. "Just checking. Let's just watch the show."

Tony released his hand from Loki's shoulder and took a giant sip from his drink and turned to watch. The two were still going on about nonsense but things became a little more interesting once action was involved. Tom was ready to strike at Chris, using the pillow as a weapon.

Not a good choice.

"What are you going to do with so puny a weapon?" Chris scrunched his nose and gave out a growl. "That cannot harm me."

"Punishment, dear boy." Tom menacingly said then turned his sweet voice. "But first, you believe in all this? It took me a while to trust them, let alone think this is all real. What difference, is it with you?"

"What's not to believe?" Chris shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Steve wondered.

"Natasha told me everything about what happened to Tom." Chris shook his head. "Got to say that your disappearance has lead your fans to search for you. Heck, everyone is looking for you. And then, I find myself here with you, in another world! I'm not shocked anymore."

"It just means I'm well loved. Like I said to Loki, here." Tom glanced at the god and the man simply shrugged. "So still cautious that I might, what, Russolize you? or Loki'd, as I might say."

Chris laughed, now everyone was confused.

"A little Mate." Chris made a face.

"Don't be that way."

"Nobody can be so sure when it's you. I'm just scared you planned something bigger than what I did, but you should know that is still a puny weapon. What kind of a man are you Tom? Even Loki can do better than to use a pillow as a weapon."

_"I have to agree with this 'other' Thor."_ Loki shook his head. "_But what else could he differ from him. He speaks like normal midgardians do, yet he sounds so proud and stubborn like Thor. I wonder..."_

"They're gonna fight." Clint poked Natasha. "This is, a must see!"

"Quiet." Natasha shushed.

"I am a man to tear you apart in the future but will likely, not succeed." Tom looks to Loki. "If you get my point as none of you know-who's ever did. But perhaps I could, triumph, in this one at least."

"Funny, that I agree with you." Chris walked closer to the rest of them and poked at Thor. "Hey there big guy! Handsome are we? I like the hair."

Thor stood up and looked into Chris's eyes. "Hello there friend! I am Thor, God of Th-"

"Thunder, yes." Chris nodded and avoided the pillow Tom threw. "Jealous, are we? I didn't think you'd be the type to be that way, Tom. Looks like Loki has finally influenced you so much more within just the day. I'm shocked."

"We're not going there." Tom smiled.

"Then tell me what you were going on about before I got here."

"We just finished talking about my life and now I get to ask him questions."

**"OKAY!**" Tony shouted.

Tom and Chris stopped talking and turned to Tony. Everyone else did, shocked that he actually decided to shout. Steve shook his head, typical Tony, can't really keep his mouth shut for the good of the team but in this case, it was an exception. The conversation was going nowhere at this point and they needed to stop and start from the beginning.

Tony resumed to talking.

"I'm getting annoyed here but could we get to the conversation part, instead of the- we don't understand what you are talking about- thing. Because- that would be a whole lot easier than piecing things together-

-Now what do you say we get started- you two can take the couch there!"

Tony pointed opposite of their couch, Tom and Chris followed and sat next to each other. Chris was nudging Tom and Tom was fighting back, both of them grinning.

"I'm so excited." Chris spoke up. "I've been somewhat dreaming this day would come when I get to talk about this to you guys." He pointed at the Avengers.

"Same here." Tom spoke up.

"GOD! What just happened?" Tony blurted out.

"Dunno, man." Clint shook his head. "It happened pretty fast."

"First we question Tom," Tony counted. "Then Chris comes along and you start talking about nonsense and then you're all friends and Loki here loves to flirt with me- my head hurts!"

"Whatever did happen," Loki reasoned. "I do not like. And I do not flirt, it is you who does it to me, I don't understand why."

"It's because you're stubborn." Tony pouted. "And I get what I want, sweetheart. I'm learning about that magic of yours."

Loki shook his head. "Insufferable Mortal."

"You should get used to it." Tom chuckled.

"Is this normal for you two?" Loki continued pointing at Chris and Tom. "Because seeing myself act this way is terribly uncomfortable. I just see no reason to-"

"We need something to calm us down." Steve spoke up. "Besides Tony's method.

"Hey!" Tony protested.

"Um..." Banner talked. "I think it's a relief that things are different in other worlds. It's not always you and Thor fighting. At least we get to see that you can actually stand each other, because at this point, I'm no longer shocked."

"I think it's cute." Natasha laughed. "First time seeing something like this happen."

"Nice to get everyone's opinion." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Chill man." Clint smiled. "It's not like the end of the world."

"I am already cold." Loki hissed at the statement, wrong choice of words. "I do not need to, chill. Filthy mortal! I only wish to know why these two are not clawing each others eye out, better yet I wish to know why, Tom, is not doing so."

"One things for sure," Chris relaxed himself. "He's not you."

"Excuse me." Loki glared at Chris.

"Don't get me wrong, I understand where you're coming from but Tom and I are good friends. We work together and although there are differences among us, we don't really care as long as we get along with each other and do our own fair share of work. Besides, it's kinda fun playing now and then."

"I remember that JARVIS said you were married." Banner piped up. "Is it true?"

"Aye, I did not hear that." Thor thundered and raised his hammer. "Is it Jane that you married? I wish to know! Speak up!"

"Alright, easy there." Chris closed his eyes. "Yes, I am married but it's not her. Natalie's married to someone else and has a baby of her own. I do too, and I love her."

"A she?" Thor's eyes widened. "That is marvelous! Is she happy then, Natalie-Jane? Are you happy?"

"Yes, I think she is." Tom spoke on Chris's behalf. "And of course Chris's happy."

"What were you questioning Loki about?" Tony wondered, trying to get back to the topic. "Because I'm quite curious and I don't want things to be awkward anymore. Trying to help here!" He raised his hands in defense.

"I wanted to know if-" Tom paused. "If it's true that Loki has kids. You know, Fenrir, Jormungand, Hel... and everything else... "

"Oh!" Chris clasped his hands. "I want to know if it's true that you were raped by a horse. I've always wanted to know that."

Tony spit his drink causing Loki squint at the incoming waters-spray. Loki glared at Tony, a little glad that it wasn't sprayed all over his face. He wiped it off and turned to Thor, who was laughing hysterically. Tony was on a coughing fit. Clint and Natasha were laughing just as much as Thor was and Banner was smiling. Steve was red by now, he didn't even know that could happen.

"He's a guy!" Tony coughed. "How can he bare children?"

"It's in the myths, don't you read it?" Tom wondered.

"I've heard of it." Banner smiled. "I'm curious to know if it's real."

"Thor's laughing." Clint wiped the tears off his eyes. "Does that mean it's true?"

"No, quite the opposite actually." Loki frowned and blushed at the same time. "Do I look like I could bare children?"

"Sort of..." Chris and Tom laughed together.

"It is of Thor's mockery!" Loki shouted, standing up and walking to the window.

"It is still harmless, Loki." Thor smiled. "I did it because he made lies about Sif and I, marrying each other. We are but simple friends. I admire her fighting too."

"He sees it as," Loki thought, looking at the buildings outside. "How do you mortals say it, ah, 'payback' for my own set of trickery. His own idea of mischief to take advantage of you gullible mortals. We were younger then, we thought everything was fun."

"Aye, we did!" Thor wiped the tears off his eyes. "It is not true, it is a joke."

"You let earth believe it was true?" Steve raised his eyebrows. "That's wrong isn't it."

"It is harmless." Thor assured.

"Surely, you do not believe that I let myself be defiled by such, low a creature." Loki scrunched his face. "Better yet that I gave birth to Odin's horse!"

"It's in the myths though-" Tom shrugged. "So it's not true?"

"No, Sleipnir was a gift to Odin." Loki pointed out.

"That's good." Chris smiled. "At least we know that Loki isn't the same as the comic books and the myths. I mean, he is a trickster but you can shape-shift, can you?"

"Yes, I can." Loki bit his lips and turned to him. "Is there any chance you can question me with something else that is not as personal as this?"

"Brother..."

"I am not your brother!"

"Mine is for Thor!" Chris raised his hands. "Will you ever stop treating Loki this way?"

"Finally!" Tom smiled. "We could get back to Thor and Loki's topic."

"I call my him my brother, because I see it fit." Thor stood up pointing a hammer to Loki.

"That's not the point." Loki hissed. "I do not want to be called your brother, because I never was!"

"I do not care whether we are not of the same blood but I grew up with him and I wish to prove that nothing to destroy what we have. I would like to prove that what my brother has done to Midgard is wrong!"

"But do you even understand why he did it?" Chris managed to get Thor to shut up.

"What are you implying, Mortal?" Loki scowled. "How much do you know?"

"I know that Thor was stubborn and cocky when the coronation began." Chris said. "I also know that you hate being in Thor's shadow and I'd like to tell him that you hate being called brother because that makes you in his shadow even more. You wanted to be equals and you didn't want the throne, I'm trying to prove here that I defend Loki."

"You too!" Tony flailing his arms. "You keep justifying that-"

"What he did to earth was wrong!" Natasha shouted.

"Not to mention controlling me!" Clint started.

"He destroyed half of New York." Steve spoke.

"And trying to mess with the other guy." Banner chorused with them.

"My brother-"

"STOP!" Chris shouted. "I'm saying that Thor and Odin is what caused Loki to turn. Loki was only trying to impress Odin so that he can obtain love equally to Thor's. He tried to prove that by destroying his own race-"

"I've told them that." Tom pointed.

"And even did-what he did- to his real father! Laufey." Chris saw Loki flinch in the corner of his eye. "I'm saying that you should give him a chance. Thor at most should give Loki space, because all Thor ever done was best Loki at everything."

"Might I say, not everything." Loki frowned, eyes stared at him. "I excelled in magic and intelligence more than I wish to be stronger and more brash like Thor was. I found myself finding company in being secluded from the world than socializing with Thor's mocking friends."

"They are not as mocking as you think." Thor countered.

"Do, shut up!" Loki hissed, ignoring Thor and turning to the window.

"Yes." Tom relaxed himself. "This is getting hard to explain. Um... we told you everything, it's up to you to realize it on your own. As is the rest of you."

"I want to bail, mate." Chris whispered into Tom's ear. "It's hard to counsel these two. Let alone have the Avengers watch your every move, it's creepy."

"Got that right." Tom nodded, touching his chin.

Loki stared at the buildings again, in his mind he was comparing it to Asgard. It was completely different, he wasn't sight seeing before but now, the Avengers were setting him free but at a cost of his magic. He counted the cars he saw through the window and was fascinated by everything else, truly different from Asgard.

"One last question that I'm curious about." Tom cupped his chin.

Loki raised his eyebrows and glanced at Tom, wondering what the last question was about. Tony perked up wondering what else was there to ask about. Natasha and Clint straightened themselves from sitting and Banner looked up from his notes. Thor standing with his hammer at hand and glared at Tom and Chris. Thor had this feeling that he wouldn't like this last question. The feeling was there and it was nagging him to the very end, tension was getting to them. Steve shook his head, this will not end well for the team.

The silence was _eerie._

Chris wasn't really sure what Tom's question was but he could likely defend him if Loki were to, cause harm. Tom felt the need that the Avengers should hear this, hear his question. He was sure that this one was true, given why Loki's mad at Thor and why it was hard for him to forgive his brother. Tom knew that if they heard this question, the story, they would at least rethink about what they're doing to Loki. And if they knew, they might reconsider treating him like the bad guy all the time, sometimes the bad guys were the victims. He will eventually regret doing this, but there was no other way to help them.

"Is it true that they sewed your mouth?" Tom knew it was personal.

Too, _personal_.

Loki's eyes widened, he didn't realize his hand went to touch his lips. He acted quickly, backing away and glaring at Tom. The Avengers team saw this, Thor was shaking slightly, sadness escaped his eyes. He tried to walk to Loki, but Loki raised a hand up to Thor, eyes begging for him to stay away. Loki's feature were that of someone reliving the memory, the horror, the pain. Every moment stuck to him like glue, a nightmare he can never live with, a pain, a suffering he had to endure for centuries. To be mocked. To be punished.

_'Brother, stay still! It will be over soon.' He said, pushing Loki down on the table._

_'NO, DON'T LET THEM DO THIS!' Loki trashed, tears escaping his eyes. 'I didn't do it, why would you not understand!'_

_'I cannot undo what is yet to be done, brother. You lie...'_

_'Please! I've learned my lesson!' He begged, not caring if he accepted the blame. 'Thor, don't... PLEASE!'_

_'I'm sorry.' He whispered as it began._

_'Please, don't! I beg you, I promise this won't happen again... please! No! Nonono! THOOORR!'_

_'Brother...'_

So it was true? But the others, Asgard betrayed his trust already. Even before he knew of his heritage. He endured it even after they sewed his mouth, he endured the mockery, the pain, the loneliness. Waited for centuries for the right time for him to strike, to teach Thor a lesson. But to what extent did he have to go through to obtain it. Was it ever just? Was it worth it to be his equal?

_'It serves you well.' They laughed. 'At least you won't tell lies anymore.'_

_'Finally, you cannot cause harm.'_

_'What you did was wrong! To cut off Sif's hair!'_

_'Silver-tongue, gone in an instant. I'm amazed you could still endure this.'_

_'Is this what it takes to keep you quiet? If I'd known, I would have done it a long time ago.'_

_'Thor shouldn't regret what he did, you deserve it.'_

Loki tried his best to forget the memory, why did his mortal half had to come and babble his story. He began shaking, his body could feel and relive the memory. His mind was fighting it, trying to tell him that he was somewhere safe, where they could not touch his face. His lips. Where they could not harm him, but when Thor spoke, his mind went blank.

"Brother..." Thor softly spoke.

_Blood dripping down to the cold hard floor._

_The long, painful thread, shutting his lips._

_Stained his life._

_Anger, never flushed._

_Pain, settled._

_Trust, disappeared._

_Darkness, lingered._

**"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"** Loki shouted, hands defending him, hid body visibly shaking. **"DO NOT DARE, TOUCH ME! DO NOT SPEAK TO ME AS IF I AM STILL YOUR BROTHER!"**

_'I cannot undo what is yet to be done'_

It is done.

It cannot be undo.

The Avengers haven't seen Loki look this, vulnerable. Tony knew JARVIS was taping all this and he wasn't sure he'd want Fury to see this. If Fury could use it against Loki. Loki backed to the glass window, his body still shaking, eyes full of terror and pain. His lips quivering, hands touching his lips, searching for scars.

"Brother, listen-"

"Don't think I have forgiven you for it!" Loki shouted again. "It was your fault to begin with! I told you it was not my fault, but you chose otherwise, it was mine!"

"They sewed your mouth?" Tony repeated in a whisper, expression in 'awe'.

"It's true?" Banner wrinkled his brow. "I thought all of it was a myth or a joke?"

"YOU DO NOT ASK ME QUESTIONS THAT ARE TOO PERSONAL!" Loki shouted, he couldn't compose himself, couldn't stay calm. "LIES, LIES... I DO NOT ALWAYS SPEAK LIES!"

_Pain._

_Suffering._

_Blood._

"Tis true.." Loki whispered. "Yet I do not wish to speak of it. It is one of the reasons why I have loathing for Asgardian people, why I hate Thor! I've dealt with it long enough, I do not want to bear it any longer! Leave it alone!"

Loki walked away from them and into the kitchen. The only place he knows of where to go. Glad that nobody followed him. Thor stood there sadness in his eyes. He couldn't bare to look at anyone. He dropped his hammer and the building slightly shook and took a seat next to Chris, his arms reached to cup his entire face and stay there, pondering of what just happened.

"Sorry I asked." Tom whispered.

"It is not your fault." Thor told him. "It is mine and I regret what I did."

"Should I be worried that Loki is in my kitchen?" Tony wondered. "Just trying to cut the tension! Sheesh!"

"What did happen, Thor?" Clint wondered.

"Yeah, why did they sew his mouth shut?" Natasha asked, curious just as everyone was.

Thor didn't want to speak so Banner cut in. "It said in the myths that Loki cut off Sif's hair and Thor demanded to have it replaced or he'll break Loki's bones. Loki went to two dwarves to replace the hair, they made bets and Loki lost thus demanding his head. But Loki talked them out of it saying something about his neck connected, so the dwarves took it that he should have his lips sewn shut. But I didn't know you were in it, Thor."

"My friends had deemed it fit that I should not be in the story." Thor quietly said.

"Loki said you were in it." Chris told him. "What happened?"

"It happened long ago." Thor said. "I was away that very morning and Sif had come crying to me. That her hair was cut. Everyone blamed it on, Loki. I went to his room, demanded that he undo what he did. He begged me to stop beating him up, he would not admit to his lies. He told me that he did not do it.-

-I could not accept it, until he admitted that he did. I stopped, set him free to change things. He went to the dwarves, did the bet, I was there. Holding him down, it was either they kill him or I do what they say. My brother begged me, told me to stop. The threads made him bleed, made him weak, he did not trust anymore. When the threads were off centuries later, things had gone back to normal. But my friends think it was best to inform you mortals of what happened to Loki. They just left me out of the story."

"**GOD!**" Tony shouted. "You held him down, that's torture. And your so-called friends thought it was fun to tell us that Loki's mouth was sewn shut because of a simple prank gone wrong?"

"How did you know it was Loki who did it?" Tom wondered. "Did you question him on his side of the story?"

"No." Thor admitted. "I did not. I beat him almost to death until he confessed what he did to Lady Sif."

"Don't you think he might have done that to stop you from beating him any further?" Steve piped up. "I've been beaten numerous times before. You'd say anything to get you out of the mess you were in."

"No wonder Loki hates you." Clint scowled. "You freaking let him get his mouth sewn than have protected him."

"Can we not talk about this?" Thor stood up, taking his hammer away. "I wish to be alone. Do not come near me!"

"This is messed up." Chris muttered.

He walked away to one of the rooms he had in Stark's tower. The silence threatened to stay and linger. Steve shook his head, he knew something like this was going to happen and in the tower, no less. He was going to stay here longer than he thought he would, having to watch over two gods battling it out. Tony sighed, that was torture, he could still feel Loki in a way. He still doesn't forgive him for what he did to New York but then again, when you think about it, Villains aren't born that way, they are made that way.

The point stuck to him.

Clint and Natasha thought it was worst than Budapest and even Prague. Worse that, a brother you look up to could somehow let something like that happen to you, was nerve-wracking. They could feel the shiver run down their backs. To know that even Loki had bad times in his life.

Banner stopped writing his notes. It was too personal to be written, he promised he's keep it in his mind. He had to rethink about Loki and always being the bad one, the guy was the victim in most of the myths. Even if none were true, but this, was all too real. Chris didn't expect Tom to bring out a question like that but if Tom hadn't asked first, he would have done so.

Tom on the other hand, felt that nagging feeling again, he lived part of Loki's life and could understand what he's going through, he couldn't help but feel the same emotions the god was. He had to admit that it was depressing to hear such a thing come out of the gods mouth. The whimpering sounds, Loki made. The fidgeting, the shaking. If he was in that position, he would have likely done the same.

_"JARVIS!" Tony stood up, dusting himself._

_Sir?_

"Delete the video feed about the conversations we had." Tony said. "Delete every video you had on us from this afternoon."

_But Sir. Director Fury wanted to keep tabs on, Norse god, Loki. It is defying his or-_

"I'm your creator, JARVIS." Tony grunted. "Now do what I say, or I'm selling you for scraps too. Now delete those, I don't care if Fury has my head. I want them gone, right now!"

_Done, Sir._

"Give me a report."

_Everything from this afternoon is wiped clean from the data. Do you wish for me to continue the video feeds for today, Sir? Or shall I shut off cameras activated in the room._

"Fury won't suspect a thing. Just replace the video feed with something from yesterday, loop it and reboot. Start from right now. If Fury found out about that conversation, who knows what he'll do.

_The cameras, Sir._

"Keep it running." Tony decided to walk away.

"Hey, Tony." Clint muttered. "You do know, Fury will suspect this."

"He won't, he's too busy." Tony waved a goodbye. "If you're looking for me, I'll be at the lab. Care to come with me, Dr. Banner?"

"Sure." Banner walked with him.

Clint and Natasha went to the roof to talk about the recent events that took place and Clint filled her in with questions Loki asked Tom. Tom and Chris were left in the living room talking things through about his disappearance.

Loki was still in the kitchen, they found that he needs time and leaving him alone would help ease his troubled mind. Loki wouldn't attack them, so Clint and Natasha didn't need to worry. Loki on the other hand, was far from okay. He sat behind the large marbled table, connected to the floor. He sat there on the ground, knees together. He eyed the floor, pondering for a moment. He was sure that the kitchen was a bad place to stay in, since anyone could reach for him, but he was glad that none did. And he was left there alone, to think.

_"Curse, this weakened form!"_ Loki wiped the tears out of his eyes. _"It was never my fault!"_

* * *

**oOo**

Back in SHIELD HQ, Agent Blake walked away to a nearby room and turned to look if anyone was following him. So far, none did. He shut the door to the room, it was dim inside and there were numerous screens. It all lightened up, one by one. Revealing the SHIELD council.

"What is it that you want to talk about, Agent?" The deeper voice spoke.

"I'm sure, Director Fury hasn't informed you yet." Agent Blake said. "I have information that Director Fury has been keeping from you. It's important that you should know..."

"Fury has defiled our orders more than once." Another man said. "You are taking great lengths to get in contact with us, Agent."

"Betraying his trust, aren't we?" A woman said.

"I'm only doing what's right." Agent Blake shook his head. "He's keeping from you, doubles of the Avengers and Loki. And the tesseract is activated once more."

"Explain." And so he did.

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2 - A shattered glass

**DISCLAIMER: ** **I do not own the Avengers. All characters are fictional, any similarities to anyone dead or alive is purely coincidental.**

* * *

**oOo**

(Alternate Universe)

The news went and passed on every channel, apparently, it wasn't just a petty little stunt from the were worried, depression settles in, worry forgoes and the safety of the people are online. The devastation brought upon the world by two missing actors is a story waiting to be written in history.

Rob Devan was watching TV trying to find a decent show and stop his stress level from rising any further but from every click of the remote, his heart beat began to race. He had this feeling of needing to 'suit up' and attack whoever did this, but contrary to popular belief, he's no real iron man. He sighed as he flipped through the channels, eying the TV with caution.

_The massive earthquakes occurring at the location where actor Tom Hiddles and Chris Worth disappeared at, were no coincidence... reports say that it was a terrorist group... _

Click.

_Every fan of the Avengers are begging to have two of their favorite Norse gods to be brought back to safety...  
_

Click.

_Interviews from the avengers state that they do-  
_

click.

_Lives weren't lost but two dear frien-  
_

Click.

It went on for a few seconds, flipping through channel to channel, when he stopped at a particular one that he had no idea of. The reporter was a young brunette standing near the scene of the crime where Chris vanished in the blink of an eye. Rob listened carefully to the reporter. He even leaned toward the TV get a good view.

_It's been two and a half-months since the disappearance of Tom Hiddles followed by his co-worker Chris Worth. Apparently, Tom was last seen coming in his hotel room when the building shook from the earthquake. When his friends came to see if he was alright, the room was empty and no signs of their friend nor was there a struggle. _

_Everyone began searching for Tom Hiddles including his fans around the globe._

_Not long after the disappearance of a well loved Avenger character, another one of his co-worker disappeared. _

_Chris Worth was last seen in this parking area, similar to what happened to Tom. Fans say that there were kidnappings and the police are warranting arrests for anyone who's part of the crime. Fans shout-out for the kidnappers to bring back their well-loved gods. As you can see, police investigators state that there were no signs of a struggle and concluded that perhaps they were silently taken away, complied to follow or were drugged...  
_

_No evidence is yet to be proven...  
_

_Next on the news. Interviews from the other Avengers state that they haven't heard from Tom and Chris, nor any phone calls were received. But police say they're working very hard to find them. The whole Avengers cast were devastated to find out what happened to the two and continue to grieve their missing friends...  
_

Click.

_"Where are those two?"_

Rob pressed the remote and sighed deeply eying the now closed television. The news wasn't exactly heart-warming or relieving. He rubbed his temples wondering what he could do to help but no ideas formed. He shook his head and breathed in, releasing that burdened air he suppressed while watching.

He stood up from where he sat, took his jacket and went to his car. He punched the dials on his cellphone and called his friends. He and his other co-workers decided to meet up in one of their previous sets in the Avengers movie. He purposely left off Sammy because the man had a very busy schedule.

"Avengers assemble." Rob joked as he called. "Or what's left of the Avengers."

The set was one of the places they could think of to clear their minds. Also one of the places where the press won't look. Besides, the place was abandoned for other uses and was kept storage for prop materials for other producers who would use the set. They all gathered in the most secluded area they could find.

"We're all here, now what?"

Rob sat on one of the directors chair. Russo sat next to him in one of the plain chairs. The others sat on the small 4 stepped stairs which was a prop. Jeremiah decided that he had enough of the silence and immediately broke it when he had the chance.

Everyone payed attention.

"What do you think happened to them?" Jeremiah blinked. "Do you think the news was real? Were they really kidnapped?"

"Nobody really knows." Sharlotte said, batting an eyebrow.

_Nobody knows._ That's just it, it's all a big mystery. Even the detectives, FBI and the government can't prove it, the police can't either. So what the hell were they to do? Sharlotte paused for a moment, it was hard to take in all the information but they had to let this out of their system._  
_

She continued. "Witnesses say they were kidnapped but nobody saw the actual thing. It's... odd."

"I'm worried about them." Evans said.

"You're not the only one." Jeremiah frowned. "We're all knee deep in this."

"We're all connected, who's to say none of us are next?" Russo said and everyone flinched. He almost scared everyone, but Evans coughed and continued the point he was trying to place.

"Do the kidnappers even want money in exchange for both of their lives?" He gritted his teeth. "It's unfair. I wish the police would work faster. It's not like them to be so reckless. You heard the news, no signs of a struggle, how can they not fight off whoever took them. I'd fight..."

"I doubt that Chris didn't fight." Jeremiah said. "The guy's a bulldozer, I tried punching the guy once and he almost felt like a rock."

"They're both gods tall too." Rob sighed. "I doubt the kidnappers are any taller."

He was trying to make a joke to lighten things up just like Tony Stark, but it wasn't working so he resorted to shaking his head in disappointment. What were they even thinking, _assembling_ like this? It's not like they can do anything to help both of their friends. But they all needed a breather and seeing each other was the next best thing than _locking_ yourself up in your room, waiting to get kidnapped.

"Is it true that the police are planning on, what? Putting us on protection?" Rob wondered.

"I heard about that too." Russo nodded. "I think it's lame. I don't want to get watched 24/7, it's not right. All my kids would freak out."

"They said that if even one of us disappears that means we'll be heading straight to a protection program." Jeremiah bit his lips. "I want my freedom, they already have two famous actors, you think they'll take more of us? It'll be a gamble!"

"You're not the only one." Sharlotte sighed and continued.

"The press has been bothering us for nearly weeks after that incident. They were all questioning about the protection the police tried to offer. None of us agreed to it yet but they're keeping us under heavy surveillance. It's, not good. Can't they leave us alone?"

"This is the press and the police we're talking about." Rob crossed his arms. "What makes you think we'll get out of this situation?"

"We might as well head home." Evans spoke receiving multiple disappointed looks.

He tried to explain.

"There's literally nothing we could do to help. The police are working just fine to search for them. The press are constantly making the news and even our fans are open-eyed to the kidnappers. And we're not really the Avengers so we can't do anything. All we can do is wait."

"Yeah." Russo nodded. "But we'll all stay in touch, how's that?"

"That would work." Jeremiah smiled. "It would help ease our minds or something. I'll keep my phone on just in case."

"Same here." Sharlotte said.

"Second." Evans raised his hands.

"It's agreed then. We'll contact each other if something goes wrong." Rob bit his lips and stood up.

Everyone agreed this time, maybe being in touch with each other could help ease their troubled minds. It was a brief meeting, they didn't speak with each other anymore and they all went their separate ways. Rob drove back to his house and was greeted by his wife and younger son, he gave her a peck on the cheeks and gave his boy and quick funny face. He then proceeded to lie down on his couch, mentally exhausted.

He was worried too much for his friends safety, even worried for his own. He had a wife and two kids, if he ended up in the same situation as Tom and Chris, he didn't know what he'd do. He had this feeling that something was after him and the nightmares won't stop. Someone was calling out to him, someone in pain, it was always the same nightmare. Ever since he first heard of Tom and Chris's disappearance, he couldn't help but feel he was next.

_"Maybe I'm just tired. Exhausted from work, yeah... that's it."_

He closed his eyes briefly, as time flew by, he felt himself drift off to slumber. Maybe this time, the worrying would stop and maybe he'll dream nicely this time. Still, he could feel something linger in the back of his head.

* * *

**oOo**

Loki sat on the kitchen floor for a few minutes. He shed tears openly knowing that nobody would come after him. They knew him well enough, heck, Thor knew. He took a deep breath and it felt like hours sitting on the cold hard floor. He frowned deeply and looked at his armor. He needed to get out of it and take a cold bath, he was feeling rather uncomfortable at the moment.

_"Why is it always I, who ends up in these situations?"  
_

The Avengers would probably give him that much but he wasn't keen on asking, especially not after his defeat. He was slightly mad at his counterpart for bringing up such a delicate subject about his _sewed mouth_ but that was all in the past, yet why was it still _haunting_ him.

He felt footsteps walking towards him, Loki flinched, he knew those thundering footsteps anywhere but why were they somewhat, light? He roughly wiped his eyes, stood up and turned to glare, but the sight wasn't what he expected.

The man standing in front of him was slightly shocked but the expression changed when he took a moments notice. The man smiled at him and all of Loki's worries drifted off. He thought he would have to keep on his charade and start shouting, but he was glad it wasn't Thor or at least, not all of him.

"Uh... so that's where you were hiding." The look-alike spoke. "Tom and I thought you disappeared or something. Glad you didn't."

"My magic is weak." Loki grumbled not meeting Chris's gaze. "I cannot leave, for now, I have no choice but to stay."

"Ah, right. You look a bit thirsty, here."

Chris opened the fridge and poured water in two glasses. He gave one to Loki who hesitantly took it. Loki eyed the glass and slowly his gaze went to Chris who gulped the water down in one go. He felt something tug at the bottom of his heart but quickly associated it with fatigue.

He took a sip and drank no more.

"I..." Loki wanted to thank the man, but his throat felt dry and he wasn't used to '_thanking_' anybody. He stopped dead at his tracks, lost in his thoughts.

"You okay?" Chris said as he eyed Loki, the man looked very pale and tired. "You seem to like staring. Are you sure you're not-"

"You remind me of Thor." Loki said flatly.

"What?" Chris almost choked. "In what way? Besides the look?"

"The way you walk and drink are much alike. Not just those actions but of your words, they are very similar. You are however the last person I thought that I would see in this... kitchen. I wonder why that is."

"We can't have everything." Chris tapped on the table. "Something's troubling you, care to tell me?"

"I have a question that is lingering in my mind" Loki stared at the ground, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"Go for it."

Loki looked unsure whether he'd ask Chris or not. Mostly because the moment was very awkward and disturbing. Not to mention, Loki wasn't used to Midgardian language. So the speech patterns Chris was giving was somewhat irritating for Loki. He cast that aside and questioned, no more caring of what the man's answer would be.

"Why are you here? Have you come on my bro-" Loki corrected himself, it was a _slip-up_. "On Thor's behalf? Do you wish to seek answers for why I am like this or is it because you adore the sight of my weakened form?"

"I just came to get a drink." Chris honestly smiled.

Loki blinked, not getting the answer. "I do not understand, you-"

The two of them heard a crashing noise coming from the hallway. Chris looked sideways and on the ceiling, not sure where that came from. Loki sighed. "That is Thor. I believe he is 'relieving his, anger' out on Stark's furniture."

"At least Tony's rich."

"I agree." Loki frowned. "But not everything can be bought."

The crashing sounds immediately stopped and only giant pacing sounds could be heard, the silent was _eerie _but it quickly died down as Thor's footsteps ceased. They went back to their conversation.

"As I was saying, I do not understand." Loki hastily said, wishing for it to be done with as the wave of exhaustion hit him.

"I asked Tony if I could rummage his fridge for a drink and I asked Tom and Steve if they wanted one too, they didn't so I came alone. I knew you were in the kitchen and I wasn't suppose to bother you, but then again, you kinda, popped out. Y'know?"

"Indeed." Loki muttered. "I am fine, now leave me be. I wish to be alone."

"You can talk to Tom if you want." Chris offered but Loki shot him a glare. "He knows a lot about you and maybe you could, open-up, if not your brother, if not Thor, then maybe you can talk to someone who's you. A lot like you. It'll help, I'm sure."

"I shall consider it." Loki gave up, he couldn't put up the charade any longer. _"Will you not keep your mouth shut, mortal? I am tired, I wish to rest but you are constantly mocking my actions without having realize."_

"Great, just... get some rest." Chris smiled leaving him alone to his thoughts. "Tom will kill something if he finds one of his favorite characters looking like a zombie."

"I assure you, I will not turn into a decaying and rather disgusting living dead." Loki heard Chris chuckle as his back turned to face the Chris. "Nor do I find my counterpart being able to 'kill something.'"

"Gotcha, surprised you even know what a zombie is." He left and Loki was slightly happy he did.

Loki was left to his thoughts yet again but this time, more questions lingered. It's all piling up and yet, he doesn't have a single answer to any of them. He sighed, ignoring the pain swelling up in his chest. It felt hard to breath. He winced as his head dropped to his hands.

A _single thought, _occurred to him.

The tesseract had extracted too much of his magic to open the portals. He found new knowledge that he'd rather not share with the other Avengers. It seems that the tesseract has linked his magic to opening the portals and it is using his life force if it cannot reach the magic itself.

_"It had to resort to other measures to get it."_ Loki winced. _"No wonder I feel this way."_

It was the reason why Loki was feeling so tired, he tried not to show it when they were questioning each other but when his past was mentioned, only then did he realize he was exhausted. Loki felt something in the pit of his stomach, blood rushed to his head as he tried to balance himself.

He needed to lie down and quick.

His magic was very low, the collar was preventing his magic from resurfacing and now that the tesseract has made a link to his magic, he can't do anything about it without taking the collar off. If the tesseract couldn't reach his magic, it could find ways to absorb other types of magic Loki had. Since his magic is near his heart and connected to every part of him, it's desperately taking his life with it.

Loki thought for a moment, did he wish to keep _living_ or did he wish to _die_ and accept it as _punishment?_

The mere thought of it sounded nice, perhaps, in his death. Nobody would care. At least he'll be free, he would no longer be in pain. He slid back to the edge of the counter, head dropped. His head pounding painfully. His last thoughts were of death, as darkness consumed his entire body.

_"Death is a misunderstood bliss."_

* * *

**oOo**

Tony had his head slumped on the table as he and Banner were figuring out complicated equations to stop the tesseract. There weren't any clues given, except one. Loki's magic. The tesseract had found that energy and used it to create a portal.

Now what?

Tony was at a blank. He didn't know where to get started let alone end it. Banner was busy reading some myths, legends and other theories that could help them with the alternate universe thing, but so far, there was nothing. Nothing at all that could help with their search.

"JARVIS!" Tony called as he twirled on the chair. "Run some scans from the data that we have on the tesseract and make it thorough. Don't leave any details out, we need as much information as we can get, even a damn speck of dust in there."

_Already finished, sir. Do you want an update for the device?_

"Just transfer the data on the pad and I'll look for it later. Give me an update on the tesseract in SHIELD instead. I'd like to know what's going on in there. Make it snappy JARVIS."

_Doing it as we speak, sir. _

"You're hacking into SHIELD?" Banner raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"I'm always for wise Dr." Tony smirked. "Besides, getting in Fury's head is fun, especially when he doesn't know what's coming. Besides, I wanted to make sure that the tesseract stays there. Then, I'll ask Fury to give me the tesseract and I'll study it here in the lab. Piece of cake."

"You make it sound so easy."

"That's just me. But really, don't you want to test it?" Banner blinked, the thought getting into his head.

"I don't know, Tony."

"C'mon Bruce!" Tony flailed his arms and pointed at him. "This is a chance to discover something and I wanted to _actually_ test Loki, personally, mind you, for his magic. If we could figure out science and magic, it'll be fantasy land for the two of us. Don't you think so?"

"If you put it that way-" Banner mumbled.

"Atta-boy!" Tony chuckled. "I'm sure the green guy would want to have Loki tested too. At least he'll do us a big favor and I could make a machine to counter his magic if he ever, well, if he does slip-up and try to go all ninja on us with deception. At least we'll be prepared. So what do you say we get started? I'll call Loki and..."

_Sir. it appears that the tesseract is not within SHIELD facilities anywhere in the globe. However there is one in the helicarrier, yet it is a decoy. Do you want me to search elsewhere?_

"What are you talking about JARVIS?" Tony squinted. "How can you say it's not there? Did Fury take it out?"

_Apparently not sir. The video feeds have been tampered with and I cannot access any other information. Director Fury has not detected any disturbances and all levels are clear. Do you want me to contact Director Fury and tell him what we have discovered, sir?_

"Hold that thought, JARVIS." Tony thought for a moment and went to his computer, checking for answers.

"There's a breach in SHIELD. Nobody can be that good to steal the tesseract without alerting Fury and the rest of SHIELD. Whoever bypassed some of SHIELD codes, they know a whole lot of stuff concerning it. They passed through like a normal person would, they have access to everything."

"That means it's an inside job. Might mean they have a higher clearance in SHIELD." Banner stood up and went over to Tony. "Does Clint and Natasha know?"

"They wouldn't be staying on the roof if they did." Tony pressed a few keys. "JARVIS was right, the ones who took the tesseract were the ones who changed every damn video feed that involved them and it was nicely done too. What kind of program did they-"

"Tony, should we warn the others?"

"I guess we're gonna have to-" Tony was stopped abruptly by JARVIS.

_Sir, there is an emergency call coming from Director Fury. Should I patch you in, sir?_

"Go ahead JARVIS. Bruce and I would love to hear Fury's voice." Tony snickered as JARVIS put Fury on the line. Tony did his most sarcastic voice, how he loved hearing himself. "Hey there fearless leader, to what do I owe this pleasure of-"

_"Cut the crap Stark!"_ Fury growled through the intercom. _"I want to know why my scientists are getting a reading on Loki's magic. Do tell me you got this under control because all the signals are going haywire in the helicarrier!"_

"The hell Fury!" Tony shouted back at Fury. "Loki's doing fine. JARVIS isn't getting any Loki reading at all and he's not your problem right now, it's the tesseract. It's gone missing. We were going to contact you and now we're talking as if we're some damn married couple! Seriously-"

_"I have you know that the tesseract is safe. I have my best SHIELD agents watching over the tesseract. I'll prove it to you."_ Tony and Banner heard rustling sounds. _"You, check the base, right now."__  
_

"Think again Director Fury." Banner shook his head. "It's a decoy, the original was stolen and apparently it's one of your SHIELD agents."

They heard Fury shouting at the other end of the line. Apparently, only now did word broke out. They could hear the other men talking in the line but Fury's voice died them down.

_"Sir. The men guarding the tesseract are all gone. Security cameras were looped. And one of our top Agents are missing on active duty-"_

_"I don't care! You get other SHIELD Agents down to that lab and have the tesseract checked again, I want all men accounted for! Have the scientists run test on the thing to make sure it's real!"_

_"Yes, Sir!"  
_

_"Dammit Stark! You could have warned me about this earlier. Do you have any idea what kind of breach this is? How the hell did you even find out about this? Were you hacking SHIELD system again?" _

"I was aware and was ready to contact you until you called." Tony pouted. "And yes, I may or may not have hacked into SHIELD but- look- can I just assemble the team and have the tesseract searched before any more- well mishap, occurs, that sound good?"

_"Assemble the team and have them check New York city. We're just right above you, I doubt that the ones who took it got far. I want that tesseract back, pronto! Do you understand?" _

"Got it." Tony hung up. "JARVIS, RED ALERT. Call in the team! We got some serious work to do, baby!"

* * *

**oOo**

"I still don't trust Loki." Clint muttered.

"Neither do I, but we have to deal with it." Natasha sighed as the two of them sat on the roof.

The alarm suddenly went off and Clint pushed himself to stand gripping his bow. Natasha held her gun as they turned around to see what was happening. Suddenly JARVIS's voice echoed through the wind.

_Director Fury wishes for you to assemble in the living room. There is trouble.  
_

"It's Loki related, I'm sure." Clint frowned.

"How can you be sure?" Natasha bit her lips as both of them ran to the elevator and press the floor to the living room.

"I just have a hunch."

"It better be a good hunch."

* * *

**oOo**

Thor jolted from the bed he sat on and gripped Mjolnir. The room encased in red lights as Thor whipped back and forth. He was brought out of his thoughts by the weird lights.

"WHAT IS IT?" He turned to the ceiling. "WHAT ARE THESE LIGHTS?"

_There is trouble Sir. Odinson. Director Fury wishes for you to assemble in the living room._

"I shall come at once! Earth is in danger again?"

_In a way, yes, Sir._

* * *

**oOo**

The alarms went off in the living room and Steve bolted upright. Chris sat uncomfortably looking around and Tom felt the same way, he asked. "Is this suppose to happen?"

"Not really. It's rare for this to happen." Steve muttered. "Tony must have done this."

Tom fiddled with the edge of his jacket and winced at the sound the alarm was producing. Chris frowned, literally irritated with the contraption but was eager to find out what trouble the Avengers were going to fight off. Surely, it wasn't Loki, since he was in the kitchen for so long. The collar prevented him from doing any magic, so why would he be in the midst of all the mess. That was just placing the blame on him, yet again. Which Chris and Tom were very eager to avoid. They didn't want to get into a crossfire where they could easily die, they are, after all, human.

As the elevator opened revealing Clint and Natasha, running down the hallway was Thor and Mjolnir in his hand. Running up the stairs from Tony's lab was Tony holding his suitcase and Banner following him from behind.

"We're all here. JARVIS, cut off the alarm" Tony tried to catch his breath as JARVIS followed his command, a single _thought_ rose from head.

"Where's Loki?"

Everyone turned to each other and was about to search for him when Tony dropped his suitcase and run towards the kitchen.

"Stay here." Steve told Chris and Tom, both followed his orders, not wanting to get in the way.

The other Avengers, however, followed and it was a sight they weren't keen on seeing. They saw the Norse god in the most uncomfortable way. Anger quickly fled from their minds and pity settled, no, actually, it was pain.

_It was painful, seeing him like this. _

Loki was curled up on the ground moaning in muffled pain. Trying to scream, but his voice was blocked. Sweat trickled down his forehead and neck. He was gripping the leather to his chest where his heart was and he was burning up. He looked pale, exhausted and was severely trembling. Thor pushed Tony aside and held his brother. Loki bit his lips hard stopping himself from screaming in agony.

"What is wrong with my brother?" Thor shouted as Loki gripped Thor's hand.

Loki's breath were erratic and his pulse seemingly beating faster with every second. Tony and Banner were next to Loki checking for signs of what could happen to him.

"Damn, what happened?" Clint muttered. "He wasn't like this a moment ago."

"Is.. is he... okay?" Natasha hesitated on asking.

"Will he be alright?" Steve bit his lips. "He's in so much pain."

Loki moaned again, he was starting to choke for breath. It was lasting longer than they expected and hell, they weren't even trained for this. Helping out their enemy, the one who half-destroyed New York. But still, it was wrong to leave things like that. Thor cradled Loki's head as Tony and Banner run a few things. They were still on the kitchen floor and it was a risk to move Loki any farther. The floor would have to do.

Loki continued to thrash around and Thor was resorted to put Loki's head down on the floor and hold his hands. Tears were dripping down Loki's cheeks as he tried to restrain himself from screaming. Natasha and Clint were shocked that even in that state, Loki could mask the pain greatly.

Tony tried not to think about his past. The pain Loki was in, it felt like torture. Steve on the other hand was trembling, it was the first time he ever felt this way towards Loki. He didn't think the god could feel pain or hurt but now, he was having second thoughts.

"Do you feel that?" Banner put a hand to the collar.

"Actually, do you hear that cackling noise?" Tony eyed the collar. "That's magic seeping out. But I don't think that's the reason he's feeling this way. Damn it! There has to be a connection between the tesseract. JARVIS, when was the tesseract stolen?"

"Crap! What? The tesseract was stolen!" Clint shouted.

_It was stolen approximately 34 minutes ago, sir. It was the time when everyone had gone off separate ways in the tower. _

"What kind of connection could there be?" Tony thought. "JARVIS, energy readings, now!"

"TONY STARK!" Thor shouted. "What aid would this do to my brother, he is in dire need of assistance!"

"Give me time to think, dammit! I'm doing the best I can!" Tony shouted back.

_Sir. Energy readings were high about **6** **minutes** ago. _

"Elaborate that JARVIS!"

_The energy is coming from one of the underground bases in New York but I cannot track where it is fully located. The tesseract's energy is mixing with Mr. Laufeyson's magic and it occurred the same time the tesseract is supposedly activated..._

"Same time?" Banner looked at Tony. "That's the connection."

"Dammit! I think another portal is opening. That's the only reason, Loki said it was tapping to his magic, we don't know for sure until we have Loki's confirmation but we can guess."

"What do we do now?" Clint bit his lips. "We can't search for the tesseract with Loki like this."

"Clint's right, we can't leave Loki like this." Steve said.

"You better brief us in on what Fury told you." Natasha tilts her head.

"Man of Iron, think of something." Thor growled. "My brother, he is..."

"Just shut up already!" Tony took something from the cupboard, a syringe. "I don't always have an idea! But you're all damn lucky, I do! And you owe me for this!"

He opened the lid and didn't bother testing the injection, he stabbed it on Loki's arm. The others eyes widened unexpectedly. Loki's eye began to roll back as the moaning seemed to cease and the thrashing died down. But Loki was still in pain but barely now that he's unconscious. He completely went limp on the floor, a sigh of relief came from Tony.

"What was that?" Steve breathed. "Why do you even have that?"

"It's like, panic attack. Pepper keeps them there." Tony helped Thor pick Loki up. "Bring him to my room for the time being. You know where it is. Then, Avengers assemble. We're going hunting!"

Steve, Clint, Natasha and Banner would ask about the panic attack syringe later, right now they had business to attend to. Right now, they needed to find the tesseract and find whoever did this.

* * *

**oOo**

(8 minutes ago)

Agent Blake stood in one of the largest abandoned underground bases of SHIELD. It's unknown to anyone lower than Director Fury but the people from the council gave him permission to access the facility and work using the tesseract. The power in the facility is the reason why it was abandoned in the first place.

All the readings would go haywire and the machines being invented couldn't be checked for security. But with the growing technology, Agent Blake found a way to counter it using the location that cannot be found easily.

There was a giant glassed prison similar to the one on the helicarrier but it wasn't meant for inhuman strength. It was capable of imprisoning any human, normal enough. Agent Blake along with other of SHIELD's double Agents worked non-stop fixing what they could salvage from the facility.

He placed the tesseract and activated it, the power connected to it was placed inside the glassed prison cell. Light emerged from the whole facility as they covered their eyes and waited for the right opportunity to strike.

* * *

(Same time, Alternate Universe)

_An earthquake and the same bright light. It shook the entire house from where they were. Rob jolted from his couch and tumbled to the floor when he heard his wife cry out for him and his son screaming his name. He could hear the baby crying too. He shouted for them to stay where they were and head somewhere safe. He raced to where his wife and sons were but it was too late, half up on the stairs he felt an impact of a car run through him as he fell on the cold hard floor. He tried to open his eyes but the bright light was forcing him to shut his eyes. The ringing in his ears were unbearable and the pain on his chest felt like a giant diving bell placed on it. He coughed as he rolled on to his stomach, trying to stand up. He opened his eyes, squinting. No longer was he, home. _

_The thing he feared the most was being taken just like his two co-workers. Question was, how did the kidnappers do that without his knowledge?  
_

* * *

(Back to Agent Blake)

The man smirked as he saw Tony Stark's look-alike slam back first on the cold hard metal floor. He was happy that it was this man, perhaps he had the same knowledge of intelligence as _the _Tony Stark of their world. Maybe this man could help them with the technology.

But right now, that wasn't the case.

The council had given him permission to experiment on the man. To see what the other world was like. Apparently, Agent Blake told the council everything. That there were no superheroes in that world. Who would save them now?

The look-alike tried to stand up but the wave of pain took over as the man collapsed on the floor.

"Cut the power." Agent Blake shouted at one of the double Agents.

The tesseract was shut off.

"Now what do we do with you?"

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3 - Fear itself

**Disclaimer: **The avengers are not mine. Also, Agent Blake, yeah, he's mine. Gotta love to hate him, that right readers? xD Anyways, you wanted his background, you got it. xD Hope it wasn't too, kinda cliche.. or something. I'M SORRY**.**

* * *

**oOo**

Agent Blake, a man of science and discovery. A mad man of the making. He was a scientist for Shield in the earlier years, one of the best yet wasn't known for his works. His name was Ronald T. Edixon. He aided in countless experiments yet he wasn't praised for any of them. The people despised him for his bad habits of copying designs and making mockery ones in replacement.

_"You're fired! I don't ever want to see your face here again!" _

_"Sir..."  
_

_"Take him away!"  
_

It began when his works were deemed flawed designs, imperfect for proving science. The mathematical equations he did, the physics in his works, everything was off. Everyone dismissed his ideas since it was preposterous and unworthy of being looked into. However, there was a truth to his works, that none could see but him.

Though, he became _disillusioned _with his works.

_"It's all wrong! This design isn't plausible! Damn it!" _He crumpled the documents, threw away his precious works and started new ones from scratch. He grew weary, and decided that maybe he could have another chance at something else, a field in something new.

To have a start.

He worked for Stark industries once and was made a fool by Stark himself in one of his Stark Expo's because of the invention he made that he categorized as a weapon. People laughed at the invention, it didn't look like a weapon nor did it fire like one. A bad demonstration and a bad turn of events. He exited with fear and embarrassment in his career.

_Hate, _began to settle in.

_"Damn Stark! Damn those people. It was flawed, the designs were wrong! It was still experimental! If I- if only I had time!"_

But that was years ago when they were younger. He went to Hammer industries but his talents were never recognized because all he did was copy from other scientist and prove it to be his, he was caught however and was not trusted. This time when he got a job in shield, for the government, things became much worse than just disgrace in public.

He was part of a group where they had to theorize 'dimension travels' using every source of energy possible. He did his best to think of his own concepts but greed for being famous ruled him and he stole documents and proved it to be his.

He managed to open up the dimensions but for only little time since he had no energy source to fuel the experiment.

When shield found out about the certain plagiarism, Ronald fled the city. He took aid from his wife and child but soon, he became desperate to prove himself worthy. Insanity drove him to a point where he could no longer resist.

His wife grew tired of the relentless experiments Ronald created in his home. She feared that it could bring out destruction to earth. She desperately begged Ronald not to continue, that ripping off the space time continuum would wreck the whole universe.

The begging was, however, ignored. His wife grew weary of him and afraid and so she left him tempting to bring her son with her, Ronald refused. He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her off to the room, he couldn't hear his son's desperate cry for him to stop.

His vision blurred as he took a gun from the night stand and aimed it at his wife's forehead. She cried, begging him to stop.

_"Ronald, please... our son, don't do this. This isn't you!" _

_"I'm tired of this Livvy, tired of our relationship." _Ronald said. _"You were going to leave me for another man? Am I not enough for you!" _

_"I'm sorry sweetheart!"_ Livvy cried, as Ronald pulled harder. _"I'm not cheating on you! I swear!"_

_"Then who was that man the other day?"_

_"Nobody! Please Ronald! You're drunk, calm down!"  
_

_ "You're a liar! You were going to leave me, you were going to take Blake with you! How dare you! You were going to that Man! After all the hard work I put through to feed you, give you a luxurious life, this is how you repay me! After everything I did for you, you're going to leave me just like the rest of the world! I could be famous once I'm through with this experiment!"  
_

_"This isn't how I wanted to live Ron-"_ He tugged at her hair harder and pointed the gun in her eye. _"Please Ronald! Stop! Your experiments are driving me mad! Your son can't study right, I can't sleep at night knowing you're in that room-"_

_"Tell me you love me..."  
_

_"Please, don't do this! This isn't you-"  
_

_"Tell me... or I'll shoo-"  
_

_"Dad stop!"_ The 7 year old boy cried. _"Don't hurt mom, she didn't do anything wrong."_

_"Stay out of this Blake! Please stay out of this... your father and I can handle this!" _Livvy cried. _"Please sweetie, don't get involved-"_

_"DAD!"  
_

_"Shut up!"_ Ronald pointed the gun at his son.

_"DON'T DO IT RONALD!" _

Just as Livvy shouted, the trigger was pulled but it was no longer pointed at his son. The mother took the aim to the forehead as her body fell limp on the ground, blood circled the floor. The boy collapsed in fear as Ronald laughed at the sight. He stopped for a moment and knelt, tears fell.

How could he have done this to his only wife and child?

He was through playing games. He stood up, left he body in the room, picked up his child and attached him to the newly invented machine. He laughed _"Your death won't be in vain my love. Our son could prove them wrong." _

He planned to make his child the energy source.

What could be more powerful than life itself? The boy woke up thrashing but his arms were chained to the chair and wires attached his body. Again with the begging but Ronald had gone completely insane. He pulled the trigger, ignoring the sight of his trembling son.

A portal opened briefly, showing an entire new world. A world made of gold and is that a bridge? A rainbow bridge? What was this? Ronald smiled, he could be famous for this. A world that is completely different, another dimension perhaps? Another world, a realm?

He wrote notes down as he eyed the place, it's beauty shined from the sun behind. He heard voices, coming from the portal. His heart leapt as excitement filled his body.

_"Brother, be very careful where you aim that."_ A rather deep voice spoke.

_"Sorry Brother-"_ This voice was somewhat gentle and soothing. _"__ I couldn't help it. You and your hammer are just meant for each other. I don't think I could compare-"  
_

_"Do not jest me brother, you are quite well in your skills of dagger throwing."  
_

_"Nonsens-"  
_

The portal flickered and Ronald's eyes grew dark. He ran to the machines and thoroughly checked it. The portal flickered and it disappeared along with the voices he heard. His discovery, everything. It was ruined. He eyed his son, body limp on the chair. He slowly went to him, cradled him in his arms.

What had he done?

All for the sake of fame, he let himself be ruled by greed. He promised himself he'll make things right that one day he'll get the thing he deserved. That world, was somewhat promising his future. He'll soon learn to harness that power and prove to anyone who gets in his way, what he's made off.

He fled the scene of his dead family. A man named** Ronald T. Edixon** was pronounced missing and even proven dead with the experiments that had undergone in that deep dark room where his son lay dead. The news went on about his death/disappearance and soon, other scientists from shield took on his work.

He took time to calm himself, think of a plan. For years he took training, hid himself with a new Identity. Took his son's name for honor. He called himself Blake. He trained for shield, his face unrecognizable with the countless other experiments he had done to himself after the incident in his home.

He took on the name Blake Hadley. And worked as a shield agent. He gained the trust of everyone until he finally managed to get to the top. He kept his secrets to himself, trying to steal as little as possible with the information to avoid suspicion.

But as his sanity came to return to him, he found out about the tesseract.

An energy source that would bring forth a new kind of life. He saw the experience first hand when he met Loki in one of the hallways being dragged to his cell. He could feel the energy emitting from that mans body. When he heard the mans voice, he recognized it immediately.

That memory would never leave him, since his son sacrificed unwillingly for him to obtain that kind of information. He found out about Thor, the god of thunder also aiding earth. He knew those two personally from their voices and when he realized that his discovery was that of 'Asgard.'

The myths, he would prove true for the people. Obtaining fame far better than anyone and far richer than even _the _Tony Stark. He smiled inwardly and left the idea to himself. He would get what he wanted, soon enough.

_"Nobody can stop me now."_

He tried to keep himself on low profile, avoiding to get killed. He let the chaos die down. However, he tampered with the tesseract after all chaos was brought back to its original state.

He tampered the tesseract to attract to Loki's magic. Adding a device attached to the core of the tesseract and draw on power to open the portal. He finally succeeded in doing that when he got the confirmation from Fury that there was this unknown man emerging from the tesseract rendering Loki drained of power.

This wasn't what he truly wanted, however, it will suffice. He could get to Asgard if he wanted to with Loki, but he had other plans. The world that is on the other side, the alternate world, he could rule. His plans were succeeding, but there was something else he truly wanted but first, he must go to phase 1.

* * *

**oOo**

Tom and Chris sat there in the living room eying the now limp Loki being carried away to Tony's bedroom. Tom and Chris shared a look of hurt and wanted to question what was happening. Clint and Natasha entered the living room, they were already dressed for battle, only Steve and Tony had to suit up.

"Is Loki okay?" Chris wondered. "He looks-"

"He'll be fine." Clint frowned. "Look, you two stay here with Bruce and he'll watch over you."

"Apparently, Stark and Fury have some other plans." Natasha mumbled.

"What if Loki angers the other guy?" Tom questioned. "I don't think Chris and I could handle such a thing."

"Don't worry, Loki's beat." Clint smiled in content. "Can't do a thing, not with his illness and that damn good collar."

"Right." Chris and Tom nodded.

"What's this all about?" Tom wondered. "You're going to assemble the team, right? Is there a new threat we're not aware of?"

"Actually, it's far worse." Tony came in with Steve and they were both suited. "New portal opened up, that's our theory."

"Who do you think came next?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Don't know." Steve said as Thor came to the living room with Banner. "We should get going, you okay Bruce? You can handle these guys right?"

"And Loki?" Clint frowned. "I still don't trust him. He's only been here a day and I'm already shaken up."

"Loki's stable for now thanks to Tony's... panic attack syringe, as he calls it." Banner waved. "I'll have JARVIS check and scan his insides and we'll find a way for his magic to power up, apparently the sooner the better. You guys find out what's causing the fluctuations in SHIELD and I'll guard these two over here. If worse comes to show, I'll let the other guy out."

"Good to know, but don't break my stuff or you'll be paying- oh- and no more lab partner thing."

Tony disappeared and Thor followed behind, aiming his hammer to the air and flying off with Tony. Clint, Steve and Natasha went to the roof for a helicopter ride. Tom and Chris stared in awe as they saw the Avengers in for a fight. Banner shook his head and went to Tony's lab.

Telling JARVIS to warn him if Loki wakes up. Tom and Chris were given freedom in the living room and they can set foot in their rooms however, they can't leave the building. They abide by Banner's set of rules, afraid of what might happen if he ever lets the big guy out.

* * *

**oOo**

"What do we do with you?" Agent Blake paced as the unconscious man slowly stirred. "Hey, you can hear me can you?"

Tony's look-alike stirred again and rubbed his eyes. He could feel something prick his arm and he jolted awake. The electricity in his body flowed and he felt more than just awake. He turned his head to meet glass separating him from a man who wore sunglasses. Pretty cool, makes him look like _"Mr. Anderson."_

"Glad your awake, Mr?"

"Where am I?" Rob wondered. "How did I get here?"

"Oh, your in one of my experiments. Sorry to trouble you though. I'm in rather a bit of a hurry before I could send you back to the Avengers team. I just wanted to confirm something, for the council. Just a bit of tests but don't worry, I already took them while you slept."

"You're kidding me right?" Rob stood up, rubbing his temples. "You're the kidnappers who took Tom and Chris? And now you threaten me? You almost killed my family! What the hell was with the earthquake?"

"I assure you, Sir." Agent Blake smiled. "That it was the tesseract. Now, I rather not tell you what my plans are but I am rather curious. How much do you know about technology or other advance science and that iron man suit of yours."

_"God! This guy's insane." _Rob looked around. "Okay, I know little about those fields just that it's a kid favorite. The iron man suit. Now, how much money do you want? I'll pay if I have to and where is Chris and Tom?"

"I assure you, they're not with me. They are safe, but they won't be for long. I'd torture you but that isn't my plan as of now. I have other plans with someone." Agent Blake snickered and thought for himself. _"Loki is a valuable source of power and I will need you to obtain him for me soon." _

"You don't want money?"

"No, I only want knowledge, don't worry. Soon enough, your saviors will come and obtain you. And you will lead me straight to them. So, I wouldn't worry If I were you. Besides, I have a plan to use the tesseract on the Avengers and for Stark, well, I have a new and improved weapon that he could probably place in his Stark expo."

"You're insane. It's fiction."

"Not in here it's not. I'll let the Avengers explain it to you. For now, I'll leave you alone to think. I'll send signals to the Avengers to let them know you're here. Thank you for your cooperation."

"That's it? You kidnap me and then you let me, what, be saved?" Rob scrunched his face, he didn't like where this was going. "You're egging me on."

"I assure you I don't plan on letting you go, I'll still keep tabs on you."

"Who are you?" He questioned.

"Someone to _fear_?" Agent Blake laughed.

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC..**

* * *

**Reviews make me happy. xD Could I please have some?**


	4. Chapter 4 - Living dangerously

**oOo  
**

There was a certain throbbing on Loki's forehead that he just couldn't understand, the barreling pain hit him repeatedly. His eyes scrunched as he dug his head deeper on the pillow. That was, until he realized where he was. The sudden memory flashed within his head in seconds.

_"No! No! This cannot be_ _happening!" _

Loki lifted his head until the pain hit him again. He dug his head deeper on the pillow realizing that sudden jolt he did was distressing. He noticed he wasn't wearing all of his armor. He was wearing his black sleeved shirt and his leather pants. Thor probably took some of it off him, the nerve his brother had.

Did he still think of Thor as his brother? It was probably a _slip-up._

He eyed the room, the clean floors, the expensive furniture and the giant television. The colors of red, the wonderful view of the outside but the sky was dark, was it about to rain? Yes, he could feel it. He even heard Thor's thunder roar the skies. It was a giant room with many large and odd furniture.

He groaned. _"Stark." _

At least he wasn't in Thor's room, that would give him enough energy to destroy the whole city again. He would have ripped everything in the room once he woke and wouldn't stop until he made his point. Loki coughed, he could feel the weight on his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

How he hated his weak form.

How he hated everyone right now for causing him this humiliation. Especially Thor. He grudgingly glared at the pillow next to the one he lay on. He could smell Stark's scent, the mortal who owned this room, from the pillow he was lying on. At least the man was tolerable, unlike the others.

How he can judge all of them.

Steve Rogers, he is the team leader. From Barton's information, the man is kind to everything and everyone. He doesn't take lightly to what Loki did by killing innocent lives for the reason of revenge, hatred and anger. Spending time with Steve would cause him nothing but a scolding. Lots of it. Or rather the man would shut himself off and not talk at all. Given what Loki's done, he surely knew he'd deserve the silence.

Everyone had shut him off in the past, what difference does it make in the present.

Clint Barton, the man was many things. Loki knew him better, especially with what Clint told him during his mind-controlled moment. Staying with Clint would be a bad idea. The man hated him the most compared to the others, of course, Loki understood. Clint was used just as a tool, nothing more than a blank memory was that to him. Staying with him would mean for him to get a beating he truly did deserve and Loki wasn't going to let the man do that.

Natasha Romanov was special. She had manipulation hands down. Her ledger bled crimson red and her past was very tempting to tamper with, but she had gotten the best of him. Loki wasn't expecting her to be that strong, to be so manipulative. Given her relationship with Clint, he knew that they were close and she'll stick her sides with him.

Spending time with her could be trouble.

Dr. Bruce Banner, now that was someone he never wanted to come close to ever again. Especially if that man releases the _'dull creature' _as Loki once put. That man was spectacular with his wits in science but once threatened and angered, it was not pleasant and Loki had the battle wounds to prove it.

Actually, he still had them. The collar was preventing him from taking his magic, therefor he couldn't heal himself. Just as he said, he was still mortal. He hadn't gotten a chance to truly understand or get to know Banner, but he already decided he'd keep far away from him as possible.

There was Thor, his half-brother. If he'd even call him that. He was by far the one person he'd truly stay clear off. He wasn't eager to forgive his brother for the treacherous things he's done to him. The part where his mouth was sewn when Loki still called him a brother, that was by far the worst moments in his immortal life. Staying with Thor yet again would cause him to loose even more sanity that he had left.

Loki considered himself _ill_ in mind, but still _reasonable_, nonetheless.

With all the people that he knew he could come clean to was probably Tony Stark. He was just as arrogant as Loki was and they could match wits with each other endlessly. And he pissed Stark off less than he did the others. Loki had only thrown the man out of the window, in which Tony forgave him for even if Loki had denied it. And the part where Loki destroyed his tower, oh and that man, he hurt badly, the Agent.

He killed him, did he not? He wasn't sure.

But still Tony Stark was tolerable. The tower was his second home, he had his funds tied with SHIELD, he was Iron Man, he was smart- no- a genius. He knew a lot and Loki could feel the magic seeping through the arc reactor on the man's chest.

_"Odd, I wonder why I could not control him." _Loki thought. _"That object on his chest, I shall ask him soon when I get the chance." _

Everything in Loki's mind now was simply curiosity. He could careless about the people he killed, he didn't feel guilt, regret, or any emotion for that matter. Everything was lifeless to him, meaningless even.

All he could feel was _pain._

_"There is no use wasting my time."  
_

Loki shook his head and brushed the thoughts off. Nothing was going to happen if he kept pondering away to nothing. Loki needed to get out and do something. Being the god of Mischief, he needed an activity. Lying there alone thinking was not one of them. He needed a little chaos in his life, be it as it may, that it wasn't sane.

Loki tried again to push himself upward, just enough to get out of Tony's bed. His limbs failed him as he crashed back down on the bed. He grumbled in annoyance.

_"Curse this rock you call earth! Why must I suffer so?" _

He turned to face the ceiling as he clutched his aching head. It wasn't as painful as before seeing to it that Tony helped him. It was the man's action that caused him quick relief. He felt something tingle in his chest but chose to ignore it. He was **not** getting _soft._

Apparently Tony gave him something to ease the pain.

Which he was glad for, but wasn't so keen on thanking him for it. He had an embarrassing fit on the kitchen floor. He was sure that the Avengers were laughing at him. Why did he even think for one second that he could get along with these people?

These people were his enemies, he had caused great stress on Earth especially here in New York. He killed hundreds but some of them were not by his hands. He admitted he may killed a few but almost half of them were killed by the Chitauri.

It was barely a day that he got out of that blasted cage and now, here he was, lying in one of his enemies beds. How, unsavory it may be, it was still comfortable.

_"What have I turned into?" _Loki questioned himself, he wasn't sure. _"This is not what I had in mind when I came here to this blasted tower. I had onl_y _wished for answers from my counterpart. It is always I who is damned."_

Loki felt weak, tired and scared, not that he'd show it of course. He felt afraid that his magic may never return to him and that he may not live to have it back. The tesseract was slowly draining his life force, the magic that the tesseract had stolen before was great and even now with the collar on him, he couldn't feel any magic.

He felt, _mortal. _

_Almost.  
_

_"I've becomed so wrong ever since that lie the All-father kept brought out light."_ Loki sighed. _"I was never this way, nobody could understand me, not even Thor, who claims himself my brother."_

Loki felt sick, the idea of it was wrong.

He frowned, looking at the room again. _"I house with the Avengers. The cause of my downfall." _Loki choked a laugh.

"How very unnerving." His raspy voice brought out.

He may be grateful to Tony for stopping his, what did he call it? Panic attack? Yeah, well, he had him to thank for but even so, he didn't want anything to do with them. Once all the problem was fixed with their doubles, Thor would soon leave for Asgard taking him as prisoner. He would rather roam Earth as a mortal than be caged with no magic, humiliated for what he was.

He was a _monster._

_A disgrace.  
_

He wasn't even _Asgardian_.

He no longer had a _home_.

He was an _enemy_.

Enemy to Midgard, to Asgard, to Jotunheim.

His _luck_ was running thin at the moment.

He had to find a way out of the Avengers tower without being caught by the green beast or JARVIS. The two things he knew that he wouldn't get away from so easily. He knew that one step out of line would mean for him to be taken to ground with the beast or even sound the alarms in the entire building.

No way out. He was _trapped_.

Loki buried his face on the pillow once more, ignoring Tony's scent. He didn't care anymore if he was in another mans bed. He was just glad that it was a bed to begin with and they had decided it was fit for him to stay there than be locked up.

_"Think Loki, your silver-tongue has gotten you this_ _far." _Loki thought as he bit his lips. _"Think! What am I to do?"_

He needed to get away from the Avengers while they were distracted, it was only moments before that he was carried to the room and unconsciousness fell upon him but he could still hear their voices. He needed to find the cause of his distress. The person that had done this to him, the one that had caused the tesseract to become active again.

Firstly he needed an escape, get the collar off and regain his magic, get the tesseract and kill whoever activated it again. Yes, that was it, that was his plan. Only problem was, he couldn't escape, not yet. Loki sighed, fighting it was useless. He could barely stand up on his own, let alone teleport elsewhere, for now he had to deal with the Avengers.

_"It's all Thor's fault, if he had not made me his shadow-" _Loki swallowed. _"Damn him! Why? WHY? WHY?" _

He cursed as he felt sleep over take him again.

* * *

**oOo**

Rob could feel the thick air in the glass cell he was in. There were scientists watching his every move and experimenting endlessly on the tesseract. Rob still couldn't believe what he was in for. First he was feeling weird that morning especially feeling lost with his two friends/co-workers missing for 2 and a half months. Then he met up with his other worried co-workers.

Rob was making a list in his head for the people he trusts. Making list about his will if something bad ever happens to him. He made one for his wife, his two kids, Jeremiah, Sharlotte, Evans, Russo, Chris and Tom, if they were still okay and Sammy, who was Nick Fury.

He sighed and sat in the middle of the cell, cross legged. As long as he keeps still and quiet, that Agent guy, won't hurt him. He could still hear his voice echoing at the back of his mind. He could feel the chill running down his spine.

_Someone to fear? _

Was he truly that person? Because Rob was definitely feeling scared. One only experiences these kinds of things and he was experiencing something new entirely. It was completely different from acting. You still feel safe with the people around you, but in reality, when things like this do happen, you can't help but feel alone.

Rob remembered that scene where he was Tony Stark, inside that cave, being tortured. He knew what it was sorta like, but in retrospect, you'd notice the difference immediately. Everyone will keep you safe and assure you that nothing was wrong, and you yourself knew that nothing was wrong.

But when the real experience happens, the nerves are right there. You can feel your heart pulsing and your chest heaving up and down. You could see blurs of everything and your thoughts are but your own.

Rob bit his lips.

Pondering at the thought that this was not his world. What could that statement mean? Was he comatosed? Was he dreaming? Was he truly somewhere else? He didn't know. It was too impossible. He never meant for this to happen but he was glad that it was him and not his family. He only wanted whats best for his family and he was okay with that, but he wanted that feeling of safety that everything will be alright.

Too bad, that wasn't going to happen.

Nobody was going to assure his safety.

_"Damn it. The Avengers, Tony Stark, probably in another world." _Rob sighed. _"That could mean anything! I can't believe it, it's just impossible. What the hell do they want from me?"  
_

_And you will lead me straight to them._

Rob cupped his face and sighed. What the hell did that man do to him? If this was all real then the Avengers could be in deep trouble.

"Mr. Stark-" One of the scientist began.

"It's Rob Devan." He said. "Not Stark. That guy isn't real, okay, so cut the crap!"

"Mr. Devan then." The scientist pressed a few things from the keyboard. "Do you know anything about the tesseract? Or any of the events that previously happened in New York?"

"You want all of it?" Rob raised an eyebrow.

"Enlighten us." The other scientist said.

"Like what the Chitauri invasion?" Rob stood up and walked to the glass, facing the man. "You mean Loki? As in the god of mischief. Damn it, why do I find you people so crazy?"

"I assure you it's not us." Agent Blake smirked at the sidelines. "But you're catching on. What do you know about Loki? Come on, it'll make things easier while we, wait, for the Avengers."

"Fine, you want info?" Blake nodded.

"Anything at all, but I'm interested in Loki."

"What I know?" Rob wasn't going to fall for the man's trick. "Loki came with the Chitauri to Earth to attack it because he hates Thor and wants him to feel his pain. Heavy damage in New York and Thor gagged Loki up and they went to Asgard. Is that all you want? I summarized it for you."

"You know little of the resemblance you have with Stark." Blake laughed. "It's cute."

Chills went up from Rob's spine. "So to say, this is all real, why me?"

"Because I can't get my hands on the other two that came here first." Blake encouraged the questioning, he was literally egging him on. As if saying, _ask me more, learn more and this will all come to haunt you. Trust me. _Rob could feel it, that heavy air surrounding him, that fear. He could feel everything.

"Two? You mean-"

"What's his name? Tom and Chris?" Blake smirked. "Yes, the first of my target was that Tom person, but he didn't seem like the guy that would-" Blake thought for a bit. "That would do heavy damage. He seems more, kind natured rather than provoked and he'll attack."

"You want Tom, why?"

"I thought he had the ability of a god, too bad he was human just like the rest of us." Blake chuckled. "It's wonderful to know that the difference between Stark and you- is that you have a heart."

Rob tensed.

"A real one." Blake pushed.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Rob felt dumb, but he'd rather engage in endless conversation than sit thinking. "Why are you letting me question you like this? You're gaining something, I know it. Why not kill me?"

"We are waiting and I'm a bit bored." He answered truthfully. "But, my point still stands. I'm making you lead me straight to them. Not them in particular but still somewhere in there. You're useful even without the brains of Tony Stark and I rather not kill someone as fascinating as you and your kind. World dimension travels and all-"

"Got it. I'm a specimen."

"A fine one at that."

Rob would feel offended if the man didn't seem so threatening at the moment. Rob decided to keep quiet for a while until the tension got thicker than it already was. If the Avengers were searching for him, why was it taking them so long to catch up. Rob felt the sweat from his nape dripping to the cold metal floor. This was a waiting game, and he'd fallen straight into the middle.

"You want knowledge-" Rob started.

"Excuse me?" Blake wasn't paying attention as he fiddled with the tesseract.

"You said it earlier, you wanted knowledge and the extent of it. What kind of knowledge do you want? Surely you mistook me for the real Tony Stark, while I pretend this is all real... you wanted Tony. Why?"

"Let's just say, he owed me something and he needs to return it." Blake grinned. "Revenge truly is sweet, especially when you planned it for years. Years and years of waiting. Humiliation is common and it takes it's toll on mankind. I just plan on starting something new. Something that would... make my day."

"You opened up something you shouldn't be tampering with." Rob pursued. "You're using the tesseract, if I didn't know better, that thing is dangerous. Even Loki couldn't hold that much power. You saw his downfall, what makes you think you can fight the Avengers if your just a human like me. Loki had a tough time fighting all-"

"Oh, trust me. I told you I planned this, didn't I?" Blake hissed.

"Okay other questions the Torture bit..."

"I told you before, why should I have to repeat it?" Blake chuckled darkly. "Fine, I have other business with someone else, far more useful than you will ever be. I am to create a new world, some place where I could be looked up like a god."

"You're not saying-" Rob thought of '_Asgard' _because that popped into his mind.

"I'm not implying anything Mr. Devan." He narrowed his eyes. "I am simply thinking of a new world. Something you will never come to understand and the power source I have here is for... well... I have the tesseract but I need something else, and you'll help me obtain that certain source in the end-"

"How can you be sure that I'll help you?" Rob tilted his head. "You're the bad guy here and no bad guy ever wins. Except at times in real life but... yeah, why do you think I'd help you?"

"Because you won't stand a chance. The tesseract wasn't the only thing I stole from SHIELD." Blake's menacing grin was the only thing creeping Rob out, apparently he was wrong about that part.

Rob could feel the man's glare from the sunglasses. He did feel he was _"Mr. Anderson" _and he felt like he was Neo or something, another reality, he was in the deep trench here.

"Just... Damn you." Rob gave up.

"Oh, they're coming. That's sweet." Blake pressed the keyboard. "I enjoyed our chat. Now, don't forget what I told you. My little lab rat."

The whole room lit up in red and some of the scientists were evacuating the premises. Some double SHIELD Agents stayed with heavy artillery. Huge guns, grenades and all the weapons they could find. Rob could hear the alarms roaring through the area. Numerous men surround his cell and prepared to attack anyone in sight.

Agent Blake smirked as he took the tesseract with him, whispered at the guards and left with the scientists. Taking other things as well. Before the man left, Rob shouted one last question.

"HEY! You're gonna leave me here, in your base? You just lead them straight here, why is that?"

"I assure you Mr. Devan that this base is already abandoned and I have a much more relocated space elsewhere and more funding for experiments. And besides, I've got the information I need."

The man left and he was silenced by the guns clicking, preparing for an attack. He could hear the thunder roaring in the sky. He knew it was raining outside, but hell, it was scary. For all he could think of, one thing popped into his mind.

_crap..._

* * *

**oOo**_  
_

_"Do you have any readings Stark?"_ Fury hollered through the earpiece. _"I'm getting impatient here." _

"Hold your horses Fury. It's hard to get a reading with all the static going on. It's raining so it's making it a little hard to read but I got something. It's actually leading us straight towards it."

_"Whatever it is, you better get the hell right there and get the tesseract." _

"Stop getting your panties in a bunch, we'll take care of it." Tony said as he flew with Thor in the air and right along side them was the helicopter Natasha, Steve and Clint were in.

"Tony!" Steve shouted. "This rain is getting heavier! Is the tesseract causing all this?"

"I have to agree with Cap here!" Clint hollered. "It's really windy and I don't mean the gas type."

"Thor can't you stop the lighting and the thunder?" Natasha shouted at the top of her lungs. "You are the god of Thunder, surely you can make travel easier?"

"This is not my doing and there is magic enforced in the clouds. I believe that the more the tesseract is tampered the more your world tears apart." Thor bellowed.

"Hey Bruce, you there? Might need some help." Tony said through the screen.

Banner sat in Tony's lab, he was facing the screen, typing away at the keyboard and Tony could see him. The microphone was connected to everyone's earpiece so they could hear everything going around with each other, even if was a tiny sound.

"Yeah guys, Thor's right." Banner typed away. "Apparently there's readings of Loki's magic from the clouds. Based from Tony's theory that it's eating away some of Loki's magic to open Portals, then we're in trouble."

"Speaking of Loki, how is he?" Tony can't help but wonder.

"Yeah, I wonder about that too, if this is Loki's magic, well, screw it!" Clint grumbled.

"JARVIS said that Loki woke up and tried to get out of bed but quickly went out of consciousness again." Banner said. "I didn't bother checking him but I know for a fact it isn't him doing this. I have to say it's the tesseract."

"I agree with you buddy." Tony twisted and dodged a random lighting. "Damn that was close!"

"What are the readings you have Tony?" Banner said. "I might be able to locate it."

"A lot of them, JARVIS is picking up something underground." Tony said. "It's really big. Bruce, Have JARVIS find the location, he might be able to override some bugs that's been blocking us for a while. You hear that JARVIS."

_I do Sir. Might I say that you be careful in flying. The helicopter near you is highly attracting the lighting to your location. _

"Again with being cute, I should sell you to the kids."

_I rather you keep me, Sir._

"Enough with the games Tony." Steve looked at the clouds. "If it's underground we better get to land."

"Underground?" Natasha raised an eyebrow peering from the helicopter.

Thor couldn't stand it any longer and had to get on the helicopter tired of searching. Now only Tony was flying side by side with the helicopter. Natasha repeated her question to Tony who wasn't really paying attention but heard it all the same.

Clint raised his voice. "Hey Iron Man!" He shouted. "'Tasha's talking about the underground base SHIELD had years ago. It's abandoned. Do you think that's where it is?"

"It could be out best bet to where the tesseract is." Steve said.

"Is it a cave?" Thor wondered.

"No, it's a giant base, it's long gone. Only high level clearance knows of that base." Natasha frowned. "Since we have rouge SHIELD Agents, they could probably hack the system and reactivate the whole thing."

"Damn. I knew they shouldn't have left materials there." Clint muttered.

"So what is this base?" Banner said from the intercom. "Something SHIELD made."

"I know that, it's in one of the files I hacked from SHIELD." Tony smirked. "It's become very useful."

_"And why were you hacking SHIELD, Stark?" _Fury's voice came through the earpiece. _"Last time I checked I had you up a firewall."_

"Oh, honey, I didn't realize you were listening." Tony laughed. "Yeah, firewall was extinguish"

_"Back to the information, Stark?"_

"SHIELD had it for years back in the days. Used as a testing facility and other rotten experiments. They left the materials there so that if ever SHIELD decides to remodel, they could easily start a new one without having to do much property damage."

"Only the council have access to that base." Clint frowned. "We have security all over that base!"

"Tony we're gonna have to land the helicopter." Natasha shouted. "Where's the base? Clint and I have heard of it but nobody's ever been in it. They killed people there for knowing the place."

"It's North West your location, 10 o'clock." Banner informed them. "JARVIS found the readings similar to the tesseract it's remnants are still there.

The helicopter landed in one of the building near the area and they landed there getting all wet and tired even before the mission began. Tony was the only one who wasn't wet at the moment, with his suit and all.

"What do you mean remnants Bruce?" Tony clipped. "I thought it's still there."

"It's not..." Banner's voice was fading. "Tony... ess...act... find it... could hold..."

"Signals weak." Steve raised his shield. "Come on, Thor can pummel through the ground. Fury already locked the area down there. What do you say?"

"I say Thor, pummel away." Clint smirked.

"Aye, Friends. I shall do so!" Thor rammed his hammer to the ground from the building while Tony carried Steve down, Clint used his arrow to whip up a rope and glided him and Natasha down to the street. Thor managed to make an entrance through the base, but they were still far away from the signal.

"Sorry I lost contact." Banner spoke up.

"S'okay." Natasha piped up. "We're in..."

They all jumped through the mess Thor made. There was a giant tunnel leading underground. The air was thick, it hadn't been used for years. It was all eerie and dislodged from human connection. It was also dark. Good thing Tony had flashlights in his suit. One popped right out the suits left shoulder and it moved to check the area. It was all one big tube like tunnel with wires attached everywhere.

"It feels like the movie 'Aliens' around here." Clint whispered.

"We're in the base, Sir." Steve said to Fury. "Do you have any orders?"

_"No, just some bad news."_

"What is it that you bare us grave news?" Thor said.

_"There's something you should damn well know." _Fury's voice didn't seem happy. _"There's something else missing than the tesseract. It's Loki's scepter."_

"That's bad." Tony piped. "Well, great."

"That's the least of your problems." Banner spoke. "This person isn't Loki, we don't know what his motives are."

"That makes things even harder." Steve said.

"Way to say it Captain." Natasha sighed.

"Orders or suggestions eye patch?" Tony smirked at the new nickname he gave Fury.

_"I suggest you be careful,"_ Fury grumbled. "_I don't want any of you coming bad some mindless zombie, or you'll be damn well sure that I'll shoot you the moment you step foot in my helicarrier. Especially you, Stark."_

"I feel offended and yet special." Tony shook his head. "Jokes aside, we're in deep _shit_."

"Yeah yeah! We got it." Clint frowned. "As if Loki wasn't enough to deal with but hell, this guy is something different entirely. Even Loki wasn't this creepy. I mean, look, we're walking in some dark infested abandoned facility."

"Quit complaining Clint." Natasha glared. "Or I'll shove your arrow up your ass."

"I don't know what's scarier, facing this mad guy or having you as a partner." Clint whispered.

"Friends, I see light!" Thor boomed. "There, forward this road to the right."

"Got it big guy! Bruce, you hear? Start scanning things with what my suit sees and try to study them. JARVIS has this on record so you can check them again later."

"Got it Tony."

"Alright, let's see who we're up against and who they got out of the portal.

Tony fired his Iron man suit and busted with a big entrance through the front door. The door blasted open to the ground. Tony kneeling as his best entrance, the other following behind him. Natasha with her double gun ready for firing. Clint with his arrows, Thor with his hammer and Steve at the side with his shield.

Everyone of them widened their eyes as they were welcomed with dozens of guns pointing at them and heavy artillery at the back, machine guns, silencers, why would they need silencers? And even grenades and all the other stuff.

Tony raised his arms, readying his blasters. "JARVIS, power the suit up, we're in for a fight."

The Avengers didn't seem to notice the one in the cell, the one who the guards were keeping. Apparently they were too busy with the fight.

_"This is going to be bloodshed right here. Again, I'm in the middle of it."_

Rob stood there in the cell looking at the Avengers, glad that he wasn't about the pass out with shock and was hoping that the glass of his cell was bullet proof. He stood there as the battle began. He heard Captain America shouting **"Attack!" **

_"Let this be over soon." _Rob thought, his rescue had arrived.

* * *

**oOo  
**

**TBC...**


	5. Chapter 5 - The cold Truth

**Story so far:** The tesseract opened twice releasing Tom and Chris to a very familiar world. Loki's in conflict with his magic as well as dealing with the Avengers for the time being. Loki felt the surge from the tesseract taking his power and is rendered powerless. The Avengers go out looking for the tesseract and whoever came out next. Now they have to start fighting.

* * *

**oOo  
**

The room was almost pitch black if it weren't for some of the manholes existing a top it and some sewer pipes, there were some lighting's across the room, but it was useless. There were 2 doors, the one that the Avengers went through and the other was at the right where Agent Blake ran from. There was a heavy glassed prison that's been barricaded and on deadlock.

Men were surrounding the Avengers and some grenades ready. There were upper floors existing but they only come in and out of office rooms, so there was no way out. The only way out is from where they went through and the manholes blocked from above.

Tony Stark straightened himself up and raised his hands, only realizing sooner that was a mistake as they were bombarded with heavy artillery.

Guns fired at a rapid pace and the Avengers were on the move. Steve saw one of the men throw a grenade at them and his shield immediately went up to his face, he lowered his knees and shouted "Get down!" The whole place shook as the grenade set off, but the firing didn't stop. Thor had shielded Clint and Tony blocked Natasha from getting hit.

"ATTACK! All Men, battle station!" One of the bad guys shouted. "Get me a sniper, a bomber and front field, now now now! This is what we were trained for!"

"This is the best time to give an order Rogers." Natasha backed away and jumped at one of the guys, straddled him and kicked him off.

"Cap, your signal." Tony blasted another incoming grenade.

"Hawkeye! Get to the upper floors and pin them down!" Steve pointed at them."Get anyone who attacks one of our back when we can't."

"Got that Cap!" After that, Clint ran to a nearby staircase and lifted himself to the upper floors and began attacking from there with his bow and arrow. Aiming at the the person's knee to knock him down. Some he took down careless.

"Widow, you stay with me." Steve ordered as he took a gun from one of the guys and shot it. "We knock them down to the ground and secure the area, nobody gets out. Stark, attack from everywhere! Thor, you hit everything that tries to blow the area! Keep them alive if you can! Go!"

Natasha was siding with Steve, every turn, a rampaging man would try to attack but she'd kick herself off the ground and twist her body into positions that would incapacitate the enemy. Tony was hovering above shooting his repulsors but with medium energy.

Thor on the other hand was acting wild, men were encircling him and shooting but the bullets simply bounced off of him. He no longer cared, he only wished for his brother to be alright and that he'll return soon to see him. Even if they were on bad terms, it still didn't separate them from being brothers. He raised his hammer and brought it down with lightning stretching out. Thor growled. It blew away the attackers but they just keep rising back up on their feet.

_Sir. incoming call from Agent Barton. Shall I connect you? _

"Go ahead Jarvis."

_"Hey Stark!" _Clint said through the intercom, his voice sounded rough and the static wasn't really helping. _"How long is this gonna play out? You got two at your back, aiming with heavy artillery! "_

"Ugh! Thanks!" He shot at the two behind him. "What do you mean Barton?" Tony replied as he hit one of the bad guys at 3 o'clock. "We're busy at the moment, can I take your call later?"

_"What are we looking for exactly?"  
_

"Of course the tesseract, Loki's scepter, the bad guy, should I elaborate more Barton or do you want pictures for that?" Sounding annoyed and pleased with what he's said, he moved on to the other menacing bad guys.

_"It's obvious that the tesseract isn't here anymore!" _Clint shouts as he dives from the upper floors and drop kicks a guy, landing gracefully to the ground, he attacked with his arrows again. _"Seriously! Even Loki's scepter isn't here! We're just wasting our time." _

_"They probably got away!"_ Natasha beckoned for them to come near. _"I suggest we finish this up, their numbers are dwindling. It's probably or obviously, a trap."__  
_

_"Friends! Do you see that?" _Thor growled as he blasted a guy to the wall. _"That container! Do you think that is where they are hiding it?" _

"It's worth a shot Big guy." Tony muttered as he flew to the direction of the container only to be shot down by a canon. "Crap! That's gonna bruise later. Hey Cap, give a signal, let's wrap this up. Think you can get me near that thing."

"Sure thing Stark."

_"Guys-" _Bruce spoke through the intercom, a little static everywhere. _"He- guy- y-ou the- loosin- yo-"_

"Dr. Banner? Are you there?" Steve threw his shield at the men and knocked them out, slowly turning on his heel and shielding himself from the raining bullets. Thor threw his hammer at them and knocked them out. Steve went back to talking. "Iron man, can you get a signal? Talk to Bruce!"

"JARVIS, patch Bruce into a wide signal." Tony had enough and blasted his repulsors anywhere he could.

_Yes sir. Dr. Banner has been patched. Fixing connection._

"Hey Brucie, miss me?"

Tony smirked seeing that the other guys were getting a hang of fighting as a team. It was just recently that Loki attacked New York, and they were finally working as a team. Though Tony still had issues about working solo, it didn't really mean he'd go off on his own. Well, alright, he'd do that sometimes but hey, he was Tony Stark. He didn't play well with others.

_"You won't believe this, there's a bomb rigged underground. I already told Fury to block the existing manholes in the area, if this thing blows, it'll take you down with it." _Bruce muttered. _"Did you get that? You and the others need to get out of there!"_

"We still need to investigate the container Dr." Natasha knocked the last guy out. "And we have to get these men into custody."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Clint frowned kicking the dead bodies lying around. "Look at this."

Clint kicked one of the guys masks off only to find out it was a drone. All of it were drones, they were created to look like a human and act like one. Natasha and Clint frowned at this, this was more than what meets the eye. Clint began to explain the severity of the situation as quickly as he could.

"Double shield Agents, they were drones all this time." Natasha growled.

"This is Shield tech," Clint spoke. "This was once an experiment they did so that whenever there were tough life and death situations, nobody would loose a good Agent. It was cut down when they think it was dangerous and that nobody can replace a human with a drone. It's part of shield, the designs of this were just upgraded."

"So it's shield's fault." Steve murmured. "How long was this made?"

"Probably a few years ago from the lack of awesome tech." Tony used Jarvis to scan the drone so he'll have a copy of it when he gets back to the lab. "Right guys, Bruce said there's a bomb underground. I had Jarvis scan it and it's right below us, problem is, it would take about an hour to drill the ground and get it."

Suddenly the ground shook beneath them. They all braced themselves, some of the debris from the ceiling couldn't hold and were falling. Thor hit one of it and shattered it to pieces, it stopped momentarily.

_"You guys alright? I'm sensing bad readings from your suit Tony, and as far as I can see, everything looks horrible." _Bruce frowned. _"You should get out right now. I asked Jarvis to pick up life forms in the container but he's not getting any."_

"So am I." Tony frowned. "What do you say? Let's blow this joint?"

"It's bad, we have to get out of here." Natasha bit her lips. "Thor?"

"Friends, I sense something behind the container." Thor was near the container examining it like a school kid. Thoughts of Loki aside, he could sense something. He took a strike at the container only to break a small portion of it. He tried again but the whole layer shook. He stopped, the layer stopped moving as well.

"Bruce, how long until the bomb detonates?" Tony asked.

_"Less than 3 min. So I suggest you get out of there." _Bruce said. _"Looks like the debris took your path from the entrance, I suggest you break through the ceiling, civilians have been cleared out of the area by Fury." _

"Shouldn't we disable the bomb?" Clint wondered. "It will be less work."

"If you got 3 minutes of digging, then yeah it might work. Too bad it's only 3 minutes." Natasha glared. "Come on, we're getting out of this place."

_"GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE! THAT'S AN ORDER!" _Fury suddenly piped in. _"WE GOT THE AREA CLEARED! DO YOU COPY?" _

"Yes sir! We're heading out!" Steve turned to Thor. "Thor, we have less than 3 minutes, we have to leave."

"Friends, do you not remember what Tony Stark has said?" Thor pummeled through the glass. "He said that the tesseract has yet again emerged another one of us, that person is most likely here. I can sense it."

_"We don't got time for this Thor!" _Fury growled. _"Energy readings say there's nothing there." _

"Guys got a point Fury. Give him that." Tony turned to Steve. "You guys get out, Thor and I will be out in a sec." Tony aimed his repulsors at the glass just as Thor was using lightning to break through it.

"Be careful." Tony heard the other say.

"Will do mom's and dad's..." Tony scoffed aiming his hands at the glass next to Thor. "Get ready big guy, it's gonna be a party."

Clint pointed an arrow at the manhole and grabbed Natasha, as they were being pulled up by the arrows mechanism, Natasha kicked the manhole up and freed themselves. Steve ran through the upper floors and glided his way out of the layer. The three of them walked out of safe distance.

"You better be right about this Thor." Tony bit his lips feeling the heat.

"I hope as well friend. If not, then we have both endangered ourselves for nothing." Thor frowned, preparing to strike his hammer.

* * *

**oOo**

Rob could see everyone fighting, they still weren't able to notice him. They probably think the container is nothing more than a stupid generator or something. Rob could feel his heart bouncing up and down and his stomach churning. His vision was getting blurry and his breath was accelerating.

_"Calm down, this is gonna be fine." _Rob breathed. _"They'll figure out that I'm here, and soon I'll see the Tom and Chris. Yeah, that's it. Then we'll go back to our real world and I'll be with my family." _

Rob paced inside the cell, he could see Hawkeye getting the upper areas and hitting the bad guys in the heart. He could see Natasha going haywire with her drop dead moves, Captain America was going all crazy with his shield and giving orders. He saw Thor with his hammer and lightning and the one thing that caught his attraction was the "_Iron_ _man_" suit.

He wore that suit before, and he was amazed that it was true, that thing was flying and blasting out energy from the repulsors right in front of his eyes. Maybe they had a chance to win, of course they did, why did he doubt it though?

_"Hurry up! Please hurry!" _Rob bit his lips and began pacing again, watching. _"Why aren't you coming near this cell thing?!" _

After a few moments, he saw Thor eying the container, this must be it. Somewhere at that point he was already seated in the middle, waiting. He saw Thor eying him, like he was seeing through the cell. Rob's heart skipped a beat.

This could be it.

His chance to get out and find answers of his own. He jumped up and began banging on the glass, though he can't be heard, he still kept trying. Stupid Agent Blake and his schemes. If it wasn't for that guy, Rob would be at home with his family.

That's when he heard Thor call the others attention. It was almost nearing the end of the fight. When Tony Stark was going to break him free, he felt a little excited but then his hopes went to far up as Tony got blasted by one of the canons the shield agents brought.

_"Bastards, all of them." _Rob frowned. "Gods! When is this fight going to end! GET ME OUT OF HERE! HEY! Holy mother of... HEY!"

He couldn't possibly be bordering in insanity, could he?

Claustrophobic wasn't one of his illness and neither was panicking but it was a sickening feeling, he had to admit. It looks like they were talking to someone in the earpiece, Rob finally noticed that the Hulk wasn't there. So that could possibly be Bruce on the other end of the line.

He was glad though, he didn't want to get squashed. He could hear their muffled voices on the other side, he heard something about a bomb. Don't tell me he was going to die here, the Avengers were gonna leave him to die.

"I'm RIGHT HERE!" He shouted loud enough but to no prevail.

It looks like they were going to leave him. Until his hopes went up again as Thor neared him. He could feel his lips curve up and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Oh god, Thank goodness! Thor, hey big guy!" Rob tapped the glass. "Please, hear me out. Get me out of here please!"

Thor spoke with the others and began pummeling the container just as the ground began to shake. He no longer cared just as long he got out of there as fast as he could. The ground shook again and this time Thor and Tony were attacking the glass. He saw Clint, Natasha and Steve run out the manhole above but Rob was more focused on watching out for the glass that could be shattered any minute.

"Hey Bruce, how long do Thor and I have." Tony spoke as they both drilled at the container. "Damn, this thing is tough."

_"Tony, you have to get out of there, you have less than a minute." _Bruce growled.

"I will be fine Tony Stark." Thor attacked the container even harder. "I am capable of surviving such explosions. Go and be safe. I shall handle this."

"No can do Thor, suits protected, what would a few burns do." Tony smirked. "Besides, Jarvis is finally getting readings of someone in there."

_"Tony! Get out of there and do what Thor says!" _Steve said. _"That bomb is less than a minute away from blowing."_

_"GET YOUR ASS UP HERE STARK!"_ Fury growled through the intercom. _"I'M TELLING YO-"_

"Mute." Tony sighed. "Jarvis, count down, now and put full power through the repulsors and switch them to the thrusters when we break through the glass."

_Full power in the repulsors Sir. will switch in a few seconds.__ Counting down, initiated... _

_Ten..._

The glass was still thick and they weren't sure if they were going to break it. Thor was beginning to get a bit desperate as this was another link to his brothers safety. The person trapped here might know something that would help aid Loki.

_Nine...  
_

The glass cracked, soon there were finally pieces falling off and the glass was beginning to melt. Thor smiled, it could work and so did Tony.

_Eight.. _

Tony could hear the others trying to patch through to Jarvis, it was only a matter of time before they did. Sweat trickled down his temples and the heat was beginning to become unbearable.

_Seven...  
_

"Hey Big guy!" Tony addressed to Thor. "I'm taking our guest with us, once we break through, I want you out of the way and I'll go grab our mystery person. Alright?"

_Six...  
_

"I understand Man of Iron." Thor stopped with the lightning and Tony stopped with the repulsors. Thor lifted Mjolnir and struck at the container. It shattered into pieces. "Jarvis!" Tony shouted just as Jarvis put all power to the thrusters. Thor swung his hammer preparing to leave.

_Five...  
_

The suits vision blurred a bit so he couldn't see much of what was happening, he only had Jarvis to guide him. Thor had flown of as told and he ran inside the container grabbing the person. The person didn't hesitate to be grabbed as he too was _shocked _and let himself be manhandled.

_Four...  
_

Tony could tell the person was trembling. Tony got out of the container, holding the person's arms and lifting them both up as they headed for the manhole above. The thrusters roared as the debris began falling, Tony evaded them all, careful that the person he was holding was alright.

_Three...  
_

His vision became a tunnel as Jarvis put all the energy remaining on his thrusters. He didn't realize this mission was going to be this tough. He could feel the darkness attack him.

_Two...  
_

Then there was light, he rushed towards his friends and the other shield Agents as well as Fury, just enough time as the suits thrusters gave out and he and the person he was holding flew side tracked and Tony turned himself and cradled the man he was holding before he hit the pole with his suit.

_One...  
_

A huge _explosion _hit the area, the ground shook hard and the manholes blasted into the air. 2 of them hit the cars nearby and 3 of them flew of to a certain direction. 1 managed to hit a store. The manholes erupted in flames but soon died down.

_Sir. Is everything well? _He heard Jarvis talk.

He grabbed the helmet off and pushed it at the side. He turned to the right where the others were running towards them. Then he glanced at the body that was lying on his chest. "Holy Mother of- you!" He was seeing himself, just like in the mirrors. Except this guy doesn't seem as snarky as he was.

_"Tony, are you- Tony? Jarvis is... Tony... can you..."_

"You're breaking up Bruce, besides we have a situation." Tony saw Rob was just as confused as he was. Everything happened so fast, it could have been life or death, well it is life or death no matter what you think.

The guy pushed himself off Tony and sat at the side rubbing his jaw, breathing erratically. The others finally reached them and stopped dead at their tracks. They weren't expecting to see someone. Thor hadn't even said anything about a guy, let alone, Tony's exact replica.

"Are you alright Sta-" Clint stopped himself and looked at the two. "Stark and uhh... Stark 2.0."

"No injuries?" Natasha examined Tony and slapped him across the face. "No, he's clear."

"Be gentle Natasha!" Tony smiled. "My handsomeness isn't replaceable."

"I'm glad you are unharmed Man of Iron as well as you double!" Thor roared and raised his Mjolnir.

"Gave us a scare there Mr. Stark, but I'm glad you disobeyed orders." Fury turned to Rob. "Apparently we got another one fished in with us. Why am I not surprised?"

"We were anticipating that it was Tony's look alike." Steve muttered. "Can we head back to the tower Sir? I believe that it's best we keep an eye out for Loki and the others."

_"Guys.. come in... the tower is... everything's going..." _Bruce's voice got cut off.

Everyone heard this and tried to patch up a connection but it was all static. They pushed that aside for a while thinking that it was probably the cause of the explosion that stopped their connection. After all they were still near the area of the wreckage.

Little did they know about the _mischief _happening in the tower.

"Do you think Bruce is alright?" Steve was worried.

"I am sure he will contact us when something is wrong." Thor stated. "The Hulk said he can handle it. I believe him true to his word."

"Right..." Clint pouted. "And he won't risk hulking out with those two new guys in there. Loki's bed ridden for now."

"We still need to think things through, I suggest we head back now." Natasha glared.

"HOLY MOTHER OF-" Tony stopped himself as he stood up dusting his suit.

Everyone turned to Tony who was having a stare down with his double. Apparently the guy was somewhat shocked and Tony wasn't really helping. The guy stared at Tony and blinked rapidly before turning to the others and taking another glance at Tony. The man was probably having a hard time digesting things.

"You're me and I'm you!" Tony blurted out excitedly. "Oh god! I still look handsome as ever. You alright? No injuries- no head trauma. No? Good! You alright? Great! Let's have some pizza! Can I experiment on you?"

"I'm not allowing any experimentation Stark. Not yet." Fury frowned turning to Rob. "What's your name?"

"Rob Devan." He whispered loud enough.

"Aw come on! Like I ever mess things up. Do I? No don't answer that. Hey equal me... you alright? You got some dust, uhh, everywhere. Never mind, I'll allow you to have a shower later. My place, Stark tower. Amazing place, just not the roof. It's uhh, still being fixed."

"Don't do that again." Rob muttered as he slowly stood up, dusting himself too and looking at the city. _"New York, how, awesome. Why me? Out of all the actors it's me... I shouldn't be complaining if Tom and Chris have entered this world too." _

"Don't do what again?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Flying." Rob replied, was he tasting some blood or dust?

"Stop that Barton!" Natasha nudged him. "Calm down, umm... Mr. Devan... it's alright..."

"Dude, your leg." Clint points.

Rob bit his lips. "Oh god, I'm hit." He looked at his leg, it was slightly bleeding. One of the glass probably hit him and he was too distracted to feel it, now that he was calm the pain was starting to get unbearable.

"Oops.." Tony tsk'ed. "Right, medical bay, We'll have Bruce take a look at you."

"You people are real right?" Rob took a step back wincing in pain. "Because I'm still finding it hard to believe what that man was telling me."

"What man?" Fury raised an eyebrow and glared.

"The one that looks like "Mr. Anderson." Rob rubbed his face. "I don't know, it happened too fast. He was threatening me, and said something about the tesseract and Tom and Chris... Tom and Chris! Are they-"

"They're at the tower." Natasha blankly looked at him. "With Bruce and Loki."

"Tell us back at the tower." Steve insisted looking at Rob. "You're injured, and as much as I hate to say that Stark might have deserved the hit, you don't. So, come on."

"My shield Agents will deal with the wreckage and I want all of you to get your butts in the tower for a meeting." Fury growled as he pressed an earpiece, pausing and turning back to the Avengers. "I want you all there in a few minutes! I want everything! Answers! All of it!"

Just as Fury left, Rob sighed deeply, earning the attention of the Avengers. "This isn't what I was planning for a family vacation."

Tony smiled. "Yeah welcome to the club."

* * *

**oOo**

Loki jolted upright, how did he fall asleep. He rubbed his head and saw that he was still in the same room as he was before. His thoughts lingered a few minutes ago, the collar was stopping himself from using magic. Loki needed to escape the clutches of the Avengers and plan for the future.

He was sure that _Thanos_ and his minions were already looking for him. Not only that but the man who had left him like this and used the tesseract against him was another problem he needed to get rid of. Loki hissed, the pain on his neck was unbearable. Not only that, he felt weaker, still.

The gashes on his back, the cuts and bruises on his body weren't even _healing_ themselves anymore. It just stopped. Loki glanced at the room, there was a window. He couldn't jump there, not with nothing to land on. Loki sighed and palmed his face. He grunted in annoyance.

He sat still for a moment and thought about some plans he could do but it was such a waste, here he was offered the best by the Avengers and here he was now, turning it all down without a second thought. He pushed the blankets off of him and proceeded to stand up.

_I do not think that would be wise Mr. Laufeyson. _

Loki flinched at the sound of Tony's computer. He growled, he was startled by the blasted thing. Anger was building up inside him even more. _"I've had enough of this insolent humiliation in this blasted tower!" _He thought. He ignored the A.I. and stood up, wincing as he heard some bones cracking.

He wasn't really that injured. Besides he was a god.

_Mr. Laufeyson, I advice you to return to the bed and rest. My readings say you are very injured. _

"I do not need to be told what to do!" Loki shouted at the ceiling. "Call me Loki you pathetic creation of Stark's."

_Very well Mr. Loki. But do not blame me if I-  
_

The A.I's voice was suddenly cut off. Loki felt a huge relief and was content on the silence but no longer was it the silence he wanted. The room lit up in red and the alarms were going off. Loki flinched and looked around.

Was the _alarm_ for him? He wondered. There was another _voice_ that popped through the room. Loki bit his lip and listened intently. He could hear breathing at the other end. The room stopped flashing red and the tower shut down completely.

"H-hello?" Loki asked. The feeling was uncomfortable, he cradled himself in his arms in the middle of the room. "Hello?"

_"I am speaking to the god of mischief, aren't I? Hello to you too" _The voice was smug and Loki didn't like the tone of his voice. It was full of lies and treachery, full of betrayal but he noticed some hurt in there yet it was buried too deep in hatred that it was already unreachable.

"Who are you?" Loki straightened himself but didn't let go.

_"My name and identity doesn't concern you god of mischief. I only want a bargain. I am to create a new world much like yourself and I acquire the strength in your magic. Here I am offering it to you."  
_

"What is in it for me dear mortal?" Loki hissed, looking at the ceiling and finding camera's. "How did you know I was here? And what did you do to Stark's creations."

_"Questions will be answered soon. You will be a great part of this deal. You can have this world all to yourself and rule it, I merely wish to be part of creating it. As for Stark, I override all his systems and retained this end of the line in only this room. Everything else is a complete black-out. So, are you interested?" _

"You need only my magic? There is something else you require." Loki played a bit. "This is not as simple as you say it to be. I have only awakened and is a bit too weak at the moment. I cannot aid you."

_"Here's the deal..." _

Meanwhile inside Tony's lab, Bruce was looking at Tony flying out the tunnel. He was talking to Jarvis when all of a sudden the control panels were going haywire, Dummy and the rest of Tony's creations were short circuiting. The panels and screens were flickering on and off and the room lit up in red.

"Jarvis cut that out will you?" Bruce said. "Is there an emergency with Loki?"

_No sir... I... red alert... Mr. Loki... fine... not needed... Dr. Ba... someone... overriding system. Take action... immediately. _

Bruce tried to patch things up with Tony and the rest of the team.

"Jarvis explain to me right now?" Bruce called. "Jarvis? If it isn't Loki what is it? Jarvis? Patch me to Tony... hey! Damn... Tony!"

Bruce typed a few things at the computer and pushed the earpiece trying to reconnect.

"Tony, are you there? Tony? Jarvis isn't answering any of the calls. Tony? can you hear me?" Bruce bit his lips. He has to act fast. The Tower was going to be vulnerable and he wasn't able to ask an update about Loki's condition. He typed a few things and talked again, hoping the Avengers would hear him.

"Guys, can you hear me? Come in! Code red! The tower is being infiltrated! Everything's going haywire around here! Do you copy? Hello?" Bruce cursed.

He managed to stop the alarm but that didn't help as the whole building blacked-out. He couldn't see anything. Bruce closed his eyes, as if that would help. He counted to ten to relax himself. He took a deep breath, trying not to Hulk out. This had Loki written all over it.

Bruce sighed as he took his jacket and ran upstairs trying not to hit anything on the way up. The room was slightly lit up from the window so he could see just as much. His eyes adjusted a bit. He cursed.

"Crap." He didn't see a pretty sight.

He saw Tom lying across the floor curled up and a small gash on his forehead. Chris was lying atop a broken glassed table and was also unconscious. Bruce ran up to Loki's room and saw that the room was empty. He tried calling for the others but that was useless by now. Loki was long gone. He inwardly punished himself for not taking action so fast.

_"Calm down, it's nobody's fault. You don't know what happened here if it was Loki or not, he could be kidnapped or something. Right... god, the other two..."_

He ran back to the two who were unconscious and tried to help them. He first woke up Tom, who stirred painfully. He was muttering something so fast that Bruce didn't quite catch it. Bruce aided him, picked up a towel and dabbed it on his head.

"You alright?" Bruce wondered. "Quite a hit there."

"I'll be fine, I should have known Loki would pack a punch." Tom rubbed his temples. "Ow, why does it-" He saw blood on his palms. "I'm... why am I?"

"Here, put this on your forehead." He gave him a towel. "I'll stitch that up later. Let me wake up..."

"Uhh.." Chris turned and touched the glass. "Ow! Damn, that hurts uhh.. out of all the things to throw me at. You okay Tom?"

"Yeah, You alright Chris?" Tom sat up straight, wincing at the pain.

"Yeah, just fine." He said as Bruce helped him up.

"What happened here?" Bruce wondered. "I wasn't able to check it up earlier since the whole system was crashing."

"Loki looked spooked." Tom whispered, the pain running through him. "I don't know, like he was running from something."

"I got that feeling too, it's like he didn't know it was us." Chris stood up, a few minor scratches from the glass. "The power is..."

Suddenly everything went online again. Even Jarvis returned to speaking with them. It wasn't even in Jarvis system that he was infiltrated. What could have happened? Bruce was lost for words and he could only aid Tom and Chris with their injuries.

"Do you think it was the tesseract or something?" Chris said.

"No clue." Bruce said. "Fury's gonna flip when he hears about this."

"Hears about what?" Fury's voice came in contact.

They all turned to the elevator where the rest of the Avengers came out of. Clint and Thor were supporting another man that was familiar to the two. Bruce was just as shocked.

"WHO THE HELL TRASHED MY TOWER AGAIN!?" Tony's voice was loud as a jet engine.

"Rob?" Both Tom and Chris's eyes widened.

Rob stared back at them, silenced ensued the whole tower. How were they going to explain that Shields number one criminal got loose and that the tower was somewhat infiltrated? How were they going to break the ice now?

"Umm..." Bruce swallowed. "I can explain."

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...**

**Question: What do you think happened with Loki?  
**


	6. Chapter 6 - A Shadow in Command

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! XD except Blake? Nah! Whatever.  
**

* * *

**oOo**

Fury eyed the three of them, they look like a mess. Tom was bleeding and had a cloth pressed on his wound. Chris had multiple cuts and Bruce, he looked about ready to Hulk out. Bruce said something about a matter concerning everyone, and Fury was all ears.

"Hears about what?" Fury's voice came in contact.

Before Bruce can explain, Tony raised his arms and walked forward, yelling at the top of his lungs. He looked ferocious and tired. Tom and Chris could only stare for a moment and flinched when Tony screamed.

"WHO THE HELL TRASHED MY TOWER AGAIN!?" Tony's voice was loud as a jet engine, his nostrils fumed. "Shit!"

That was until the silence hit them and realization struck. There was a man being held by Clint and Thor and facial expression was opposite Tony's. Bruce saw this as well and ignored Tony's outburst.

"Rob?" Both Tom and Chris's eyes widened.

Rob stared back at them, silenced ensued the whole tower. Rob felt his lips curl and a sudden warmth hit him. However for Bruce, Tom and Chris, a wave of guilt and confusion and a little relief were there. How were they going to explain that Shields number one criminal got loose and that the tower was somewhat infiltrated? How were they going to break the ice now?

"Umm..." Bruce swallowed. "I can explain."

"You better explain what the hell happened here Dr." Fury walked forward not batting an eyelash at them. "I want to know why the hell these two look like a mess."

"Not to mention my tower." Tony reacted but nobody cared. "Yep, all in a days work, damn! Who am I kidding? Can anybody explain?"

"Actually-" Tom was suppose to say something but Bruce interrupted him first.

"I'll explain in a moment, would you rather explain first as I help these two with their injuries?" Bruce said but nobody dared answer, he turned and walked away to get some medical supply. "Let me get the first aid and then we'll all talk."

"I'll help. It's best we get this over with." Natasha walked with him, leaving the group in an awkward staring silence.

"I sense bad news." Clint frowned.

"When is there never bad news my friend?" Thor smiled trying to give a little assurance. Thor moved slightly forward earning a grunt from the one they were supporting. Apparently the injury on his leg wasn't really helping him at the moment and he needed to sit down.

Chris pulled Tom up from where he sat and was earned a thanks and a hiss of pain. Tom got the worse of it from Loki as he was the one that ended up bleeding badly.

Rob saw the two, that guy was right. He moaned in pain and tried to push off Clint and Thor. He struggled at first but then gave up when he couldn't dislodge himself from the two.

One thing that the other Avengers noticed was that he was completely different from Tony, at least, a little different. Seeing to it that he hasn't yelled or cursed that much. Or even gave a stupid punch line or quote or anything at all for the matter. The guy looked like he was on a mission, focused and tired. He was completely calm until he saw Tom and Chris.

That _spooked _him a little.

"Let go- Just- I can walk." He quietly said as the two allowed it, he walked towards Chris and Tom, who were just standing up to fix themselves and embraced the two tightly. Rob buried his head between the two and just stayed there sighing in relief.

"Thank God you two are alright! The police have been looking for you two everywhere! The rest of us helped with the search, we thought you two were goners."

"We missed you two Rob." Chris chuckled.

"Yeah, it's not like we planned this." Tom smiled.

Tom and Chris returned the hug and allowed it, feeling a certain relief that at least they weren't alone on this anymore. Maybe there was a little hope, but they were _afraid_ of how long they've been gone. Rob looked like he was about to burst into tears. They've been really good friends now and Rob was the oldest among the Avengers and they respected each other a lot.

Thus earning a _relationship_ as a family.

Rob didn't let go yet, he was to _exhausted_ to let go, waking up in such a foreign land was all too much.

Another silence from the Avengers as they watched the small _reunion_. Bruce and Natasha came back a few minutes later with some medical supply. Bruce asked Tom and Rob to sit down, which they both complied to as they were getting fairly dizzy all of a sudden. Rob had let go the moment Bruce stepped in and sat right next to Tom as he nursed his leg all while Chris was standing up. Fury stood in front of them, while Clint and Natasha stood behind. Steve, Thor and Tony were behind the couch Tom and Rob were sitting at.

"Do you mind explaining now Dr. what the hell happened here?" Fury growled as his arms crossed. "I'm growing rather impatient. I have far better things to do that to-"

"Loki got away." Bruce muttered loud enough to be heard all while catering to Tom's wounded forehead.

"Excuse me?" Fury couldn't believe it and neither could the team. "I didn't think I hear right, Loki-"

"I said Loki got away." Bruce repeated a little louder. "If you just let me-"

"You what?" Clint's eyes widened. "You're hulk! He shouldn't have gotten away!"

"He couldn't have gotten away!" Natasha piped in. "We had this place on lock down and you were watching him the whole time, he was even sedated. Not to mention the tesseract being activated rendered him useless."

"Not to mention that Jarvis also watches everything in this place." Tony frowned. "It's not possible."

"Bruce was trying to tell us something before his communication went off." Steve said, he was eager to know what the real reason was. He did hate having to break up a fight if something ever did occur. This was Bruce they were putting on edge. They trust him. "That could've been it, we're not even sure what happened. Why don't we figure this out first before we start _accusing _anyone."

"Then speak of it!" Thor thundered, raising Mjolnir. "I wish to see my brother again! We would have gone back to Asgard if not for this casualty. Speak so that we may know what truly lies within these events!"

"ALRIGHT ENOUGH!" Bruce shouted, he was about ready to Hulk out. Green eyes staring at everyone and then disappearing back to his normal eye color. He breathed in and out and pinched his nose, he was muttering, rather, _counting._

_He refocused his attention._

"Look I was down at the labs, there was this interference with Jarvis." Bruce said getting back to stitching Tom's forehead. "The alarm went off and as I tried to stop the whole thing, I didn't realize until after the alarm went off that we were being infiltrated. The whole system crashed Tony. "

"Jarvis crashed?" Tony's eyes widened. "That's not possible, I have Jarvis under numerous fail safes, security, blocks, walls! I have it covered. Wait! Damn! No wonder I couldn't contact Jarvis and why the suit shut down almost immediately. But I had that covered, I was so sure of it!"

"Apparently not well enough. The whole system fried and I had to try and stop it." Bruce frowned looking at Tom, who gave the man a small smile. "This is gonna hurt a little so bare with it."

"If it means I'll stop bleeding then... Ow..." Tom closed his eyes, it was painful but it had to be done. Rob put a hand to his shoulder trying to ease the man's pain. So far, nobody was caring about him like before and he was glad with it. They had to deal with him sooner or later and it's best be later. Steve pried his eyes off this _other _Tony.

"So what happened?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"I ran up, found these two unconscious then went to see Loki and he was gone." Bruce said as he finished stitching Tom up. "That's it."

"Thank you Dr. Banner." Tom smiled as he collapsed backwards and rested his head on the couch. "Ow... thank heaven that' finished. That was rather painful." Tom looked at Rob and Chris and they both smiled.

"Feels just like the time I hit you on the nose?" Chris teased.

"Nothing like it." Tom murmured. "Much worse."

The others still felt a little uncertain, more over because Tom and Loki were a lot alike yet personality wise completely different. They were both smart, good looking, and both their presence was overwhelming. Silence again, as if they were all _contemplating _about what to say or what to do. That was until Fury spoke up, his forehead throbbing in annoyance. Everyone turned to him, tension spread quickly.

"I'm sure you two saw what happened." Fury pointed at Tom and Chris. "Do you mind sharing? If you don't I'll haul both your asses into Shield."

"Uh... sure." Chris said, looking fairly uneasy as he dabbed medicine on his wounds. "Tom and I were here in the living room talking. Bruce left us here so we thought of a way to entertain ourselves and we were both slightly curious. We were making a bet to, well, see who...uhh..."

"What Chris meant was..." Tom continued. "We made a bet to see who goes to Loki's room to see if he was alright. Seeing to it as I'm his counterpart as he calls it, I checked if he was doing fine. When I got to his room I sort of froze."

"You what?" Fury raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean Froze?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "You just don't freeze."

"Cut him some slack." Chris huffed, crossing his arms. "We're up against Loki here, we're only just humans. We're not even from this world, everything can surprise us."

"Did you really-" Steve tried to question them but was interrupted accidentally by Tom.

"I was terrified! What do you expect?" Tom blushed and waved a hand at them. "You didn't see what I saw, during that time, the alarm had already gone off. I left Chris in a panic as I ran to Loki. I was worried he might be... panicking too."

Clint frowned. "You do know that bastards a liar." Natasha pushed him gently. "What? I'm being honest, but no offense to you but you look like Loki and I just want to punch the shit out of you right now."

"Non-taken..." Tom lowered himself like a mouse. "I suppose, though you might not understand the situation..."

"Wait if Tom was with Loki, where were you?" Thor wondered at his counterpart.

"I stayed in the living room because I didn't want Bruce to worry about where we left of to." Chris supplied. "Next thing I knew, I was being thrown across the room."

"What happened with you?" Natasha raised her head and asked Tom, all while glaring at him and acting tough. "I don't suppose it ended well given your situation."

"I heard _voices_ in Loki's room, the whole place shut down already. Then I saw the look on Loki's face, he looked..." Tom tried to recall the earlier events.

"Voices?" Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I didn't know who it was. It was a long conversation and I couldn't hear half of it, just murmurs. He looked spooked and frightened like he wasn't even conscious anymore. He was talking fast, spell, probably? I tried talking to him but he was shaking and I didn't know. I went up to him and he grabbed me by the neck. I froze."

"Damn it!" Clint cursed, clenched his fists together. " I don't trust him at all! I knew we should have put a stupid leash on him! And what he dragged you out the room and threw you to the ground? Is that what happened?"

At the same time Tony was _babbling_ all sorts of things as well.

"Holy crap! You guys really love to interrogate people don't you?" Tony glowered. "So did he-" Tony made the choking noise as he sprawled his hands to his neck.

"Much worse actually." Tom shrugged, he _knew_ Loki, he _was _Loki! Loki wouldn't have done that, he wasn't that kind person.

Loki looked _pained._

_Burdened._

He longed for a_ purpose._ _  
_

Rob stayed as silent as possible sitting next to Tom, terrified of the experience the Brit had to endure, especially with someone he'd been acting for quite a while now. He had stepped into the man's shoes already, and Rob, he was one of the persons that helped create such feel of the character itself. They all knew, all the actors knew of Loki's misunderstanding. How it was completely different...

"How worse?" Thor looked like he was in pain.

Pain of the heart.

_I will not fight you Brother!_

Pain again... for the loss of his brother._  
_

_No Loki._

Loki... had once again... slipped from his grasp._  
_

_Brother. Nooooo!  
_

Time was wasting, his efforts were in vain.

_Where are you now?  
_

"Please, so that I might seek you justice." Thor scrunched his face in sadness. Almost like a kicked puppy. Tom felt guilt run through him, it was like being in the presence of the sun. That warm feeling tempting to stop the cold. It felt as if Thor, was looking at him as he looked at his brother.

_Not your brother._

"He tried to choke me but couldn't, he just stopped when I was about to pass out." Tom tiredly looked away. "He dragged me out of the room and bashed me in the head, I was barely awake as I saw Chris running to me, Loki looked lost and just attacked Chris. Then Bruce came...he... vanished."

"It all matches I suppose." Steve thought for a moment and turned to Fury. "Should we look for Loki Sir?"

The man was thinking, fingers to his chin, eye focused, his posture rigid. He looked at the Avengers then turned to Rob, who flinched at the glare he was given. Fury sighed, this was useless, a useless attempt. As if the invasion wasn't enough, now the council was about ready to kick his ass goodbye.

"No." He said.

"No? What do you mean no?" Tony hurriedly said. "He's a crazed looney running around! Even if he is, misunderstood or whatever."

"I meant what I said Stark." Fury gritted his teeth. "There is no point in searching blindly for him. Besides we have other business to attend to for now. Loki's weak at the moment and I'll have Shield run a search for him. If any civilians see him, they'll give us a call."

"What do we do then Sir?" Clint said as he and Natasha both exchanged looks.

"We can't just stay here." Natasha rounded at them. "I doubt Loki would just play kitty and hide, he'll just be causing mischief when he has the chance."

"No and that is final Agent Romanov. I would rather have you and Agent Barton watch over these three over here and if Loki does show up, I want the rest of you to think straight and get him while you can. It's best if Thor handle the situation."

"I can search for Loki right now." Thor boomed. "If you would just let-"

"No! I told you if only he shows up." Fury glared. "Nobody is searching for Loki! I have men for that! I want answers from this one."

Fury pointed at Rob who stared back flinching. He recoiled a little, earning a few stares, he fidgeted and began messing with his sleeves.

"What?" He questioned all while rubbing his injured leg. "Ow... damn it."

"Are you alright?" Steve tried to help.

"Right leg injury." Tony grumbled. "It looks so odd to see myself injured. I feel like a ghost watching the undead."

"Tony, enough jokes." Steve let out a breathe. "We're already neck deep in this and we've just got back from fighting Loki. We don't need another war. Especially not with another world."

"We're incapable of fighting I suppose." Chris laughed a little. "Fighting isn't in our nature like you guys."

"Truth be told." Tom smiled as Rob chuckled.

"Damn right." Fury watched Bruce walk forward to Rob.

"Sit still, I'll get right on to fixing your leg." Bruce forced a smile, but the three newcomers caught on quick.

Rob nodded and Chris eyed everyone, not really showing any fear. Tom eased his gaze elsewhere catching Clint's eye and was given a hard glare. Tom knew Clint hated Loki's guts but there was something Tom, Chris and Rob knew about Loki. It was a given fact though hard to search for proof. They knew what they were doing on set, they knew about Loki's actions and why those actions were just but they don't know what would happen if they tell on them now.

Most likely the Avengers won't believe them, because this is _Loki _they were talking about. The god of mischief and Lies to them was nothing more than an invader of earth willingly trying to step on the people and subject it to his rule. Though the three and Thor, knew differently. They see a man who is in pain, confused, and completely different from the _Loki _in the past. The _Loki _that still longed for the affection of a family, of his brother, of his father.

Tom looked away and thought. _"The Loki that hurt me, isn't the Loki I know. He's hurt. Like a wounded animal." _

Tom didn't realize that Bruce was already catering to Rob's leg, which the man winced in pain every time he moved. Bruce got it all patched up. Chris smiled at Rob and patted him on the shoulders. Tom was to tired but smiled at him anyway, speedy recovery and all.

"Done..." Bruce smiled.

"Thanks but," Rob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What do you want from me? From... us?"

"I want to know what the hell went down in that underground base." Fury growled and pointed. "And I want the full report. No secrets no nothing! I want details of every little think that's happened, who are you? what's your occupation, all the useless shit and all. I don't care. Agent Barton and Romanov, I want this fixed.

I should be on my way, I have business to attend to with the council on whoever authorized this damn thing in the first place and whoever matches with our captor. The quinjet's outside, I hope you don't mind me borrowing it."

"Not at all Sir." Clint and Natasha murmured.

"Isn't there anything else you want us to do Director?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Rules. Don't let these 3 out of your sight. Find Loki, detain him. Stay here, keep an eye out until I call you. All your troubles are of your own. Do I make myself clear Captain?"

"Yes Sir." Steve swallowed.

Fury walked away rubbing his temples in sheer anger. Once they saw the quinjet leave, they all managed to breathe lightly again. Though Rob wasn't feeling as easy as before but he was glad that Tom and Chris are alright. Loki... that's what got him curious, what could have happened to him?

Though he may not express such friendship with the guy, he very well understood the character portrayed by Tom, still it wasn't easy to come by every now and again. Since when do people _cross realities? _There are boundaries in the world that should never be tampered with.

Tony Stark, he turned to face the man. He was staring at him, fascinated in the name of science perhaps, or just curious? He knew him all too well, even he gets caught up in the man's attitude at times and can't help himself. Being Tony Stark was just an easy get away as the rest.

"So... you're me?" Tony grinned and clasped his hands. "I'm you. This is going to be fun. Jarvis, full monitor, dna, architecture, features, skin, prints, whatever, check them all."

_Everything seems to be a match Sir. Every part of my scanners tell me that you and our guest are similar in all ways possible. He may even command me, though I cannot tell the difference._

"Color me red and yellow." Tony smiled. "He can command you too, just because of the voice? Wait, what about Tom and Chris?"

_My scanners say that there are two Odinson's and one Mr. Laufeyson. Though I've analyzed the difference in speech patterns and the way they dressed Sir. that I am able to differentiate between the two. Shall I do the same with the other Mr. Stark?_

"Yep, do whatever you want." Tony bubbled.

Clint tried so hard not to implant his face on the floor. "This is going smoothly... is anyone gonna ask questions?"

"We already know his name." Natasha piped in. "Isn't that right Mr. Devan?"

Rob nodded.

"What happened before I lost communication?" Bruce played with his fingers. "I saw the whole thing, I just wanted to know, what else went down there?"

"Droids? The usual." Tony shrugged. "I did promise other me a shower so, you do that after we ask you questions."

"Many mishap has occurred though I am glad that we have managed to save Man of Iron's counterpart." Thor grinned widely. "Shall we ask questions now, I am eager to learn this new found knowledge while I take my mind away from today's disaster. I will find Loki, though my priorities are of the Avengers. Pray tell, and clear thy mind Man of time!"

Tom and Chris giggled at there seats all while Rob smirked.

_Tension _was slowly _drifting _off.

The rest of the Avengers shook their heads, only Thor would be happy in this situation but they all got to admit that they were just as curious. They turned their attention to the three who were now sitting beside each other. Tom lay his head on the couch next to Rob who sat there eagerly waiting for his questions and Chris idly sitting beside him.

"So... how old are you?" Natasha started.

"Here we go." Clint rolled his eyes.

* * *

**oOo**

_Earlier... in Stark's room...  
_

"H-hello?" Loki asked. The feeling was uncomfortable, he cradled himself in his arms in the middle of the room. "Hello?"

_"I am speaking to the god of mischief, aren't I? Hello to you too" _The voice was smug and Loki didn't like the tone of his voice. It was full of lies and treachery, full of betrayal but he noticed some hurt in there yet it was buried too deep in hatred that it was already unreachable.

"Who are you?" Loki straightened himself but didn't let go.

_"My name and identity doesn't concern you god of mischief. I only want a bargain. I am to create a new world much like yourself and I acquire the strength in your magic. Here I am offering it to you."  
_

"What is in it for me dear mortal?" Loki hissed, looking at the ceiling and finding camera's. "How did you know I was here? And what did you do to Stark's creations."

_"Questions will be answered soon. You will be a great part of this deal. You can have this world all to yourself and rule it, I merely wish to be part of creating it. As for Stark, I override all his systems and retained this end of the line in only this room. Everything else is a complete black-out. So, are you interested?" _

"You need only my magic? There is something else you require." Loki played a bit. "This is not as simple as you say it to be. I have only awakened and is a bit too weak at the moment. I cannot aid you."

_"Here's the deal..." _

Loki didn't want to quarrel with the unknown voice but this was too unbearable for him. The sense of being lost was there, waking up so suddenly, his body so heavy and in pain. He just wanted to get out. He interrupted the voice, trying to sound as threatening as possible. Though his voice sounded more hoarse and vulnerable from the heavy drain of the tesseract.

Attached to his _magic. _

"What makes you think that a god, such as I..." Loki hissed at the ceiling. "Would stoop so low as to make deals with a mortal such as yourself?"

_"I knew you'd eventually say that mischief maker." _The voice mocked him, which only cradled Loki's anger even more.

This person talking to him here and now was the one he was searching for. The one he would kill for threatening him and his magic. The one who dare rival that of a god and the chitauri by taking the tesseract. Who knew mortals were crude to each other? By Valhalla, Loki didn't realize he was holding his breath.

"What do you-?"

_"I'll make it short as possible trickster." _The voice growing impatient and desperate. _"You do what you want trickster, yet none of this was planned even for you. The tesseract's disappearance, your stay here on earth. Everything wasn't according to your plan." _

"And your point being?" Loki growled. "I am growing impatient Mortal-"

_"My point is that I require your magic, it will be easier to the both of us if you simply comply. If not, you know of the consequences of your actions, not only that but I believe you have no other choice as I've seen this through, you're not given much option but to help me aid in this project of mine." _

"And here I see many flaws in your plan."

Loki eyed his surroundings wondering if anyone knew of this encounter. He needed to stall for a moment. Only to think of an escape, a way to be free of this looming voice surrounding him. He was growing agitated every second he was confined in this room.

"You wish for magic, but your flaws are far too many."

_"What are those then? Care to enlighten me?" _Sarcasm. Loki would rip this person's throat once he gets his hands on him.

"I can simply seek the aid of the Avengers and willingly join them in battle. You do know I do not like being messed with, especially my magic. You wish to rule other worlds with the use of the tesseract but what do I gain from that, if not but the loss of my magic?"

_"Clever trickster." _The voice laughed, Loki's face flushed as he grit his teeth. _"You wouldn't stoop that low for the Avengers now would you? I know you have an ego the size of Stark's. Much greater perhaps since you lived for so many years..."_

Loki grunted in annoyance.

Waiting.

_"What you'd gain? Why, power of course! Isn't that what you long for? You tried to rule earth..." _

"You lie!" Loki shouts. "I am the god of lies, I know you lie! I am a god, I do not cater to the whims of a mere mortal such as yourself. I pity you for even trying this hard to attain such a lofty goal!"

_"And here I thought you so clever..." _Loki could almost see the man's face frown. _"Evidently so that you have a point though you should know well to remember the tesseract's power over you and your mind." _

Loki froze for a moment, trying to digest this new information. How could the mortal know of this? As if by instincts, Loki cradled himself for defense, for clear of mind, for a shield and cover. Slowly breaking they say. He can recall all of those faint memories, some vivid, some so clear. His one year with the Chitauri, that very whole year.

How could he have known?

Loki closed his eyes as flashbacks haunted him til this very moment. The room grew silent, ever so eerie and frightening as Loki cowered in the middle of the room, visibly trembling for anyone to see. How can one mention of it tear a god apart, much more if he's the one who undeniably tried to subjugate the earth.

_Hands touching against flesh._

_Blood dripping everywhere.  
_

_Cold, bitter tastes.  
_

_Tight ropes, gags, torn flesh...  
_

_A scream!  
_

Agent Blake laughed from Jarvis' main speaker, his lungs failing to stop and his voice not ceasing the merriment of torture. _**They all get what they deserve. **_He laughed as Loki felt his stomach churn, he needed to be strong, fight it, fight the horrible punishments. He was wiling to take it, just so there could be peace.

_Burdened with glorious purpose. _

This purpose was his to carry, his to keep true, his to cherish and not complain. He opened his eyes, breathing erratically, though his trembling didn't cease, he stared blankly.

Hearing for the voice.

_"I've seen it before." _The voice continued, amusement lingering in the tone. _"I may lie but you very much lie to yourself, even now trickster. You even trick yourself. Pity you would not agree then you leave me no choice. I should tell you this then... it might change your views... completely." _

Blake grinned, he was going to take what belongs to him. _  
_

"What do you want?" Loki lowered his head and whispered.

Blake ignored this. _"You don't work for the Chitauri of your own will do you? You act strong yet you are so broken, which is why I admire you so much trickster. That barrier, that long cascading barrier is broken. Not enough though, the Chitauri still holds some of you mind don't they?" _

"Shut up." Loki whispered.

_"The Hulk... he snapped you out. Oh, you wish revenge don't you? They caused you pain. They caused you suffering... everything they do... they do to hurt you. We know how broken you are trickster... there is no use hiding it." _

"SILENCE!" Loki shouted, eyes unfocused, breathing heavily. "I would not stoop low as to-"

_"You do it for your Asgardian brother?" _The voice paused. _"You still care for him don't you, which is why you let yourself get into this situation, you do it for him... you want to save him." _

"Stop it." Loki whimpered. _"Why is this all too familiar?" _

_"You failed to keep the tesseract in the hands of the Chitauri... and here you have no realm, no barren moon..." _

Loki closed his eyes, clamping his ears shut. Not this again. How? Why? It's not possible.

_"No crevice! Where he can't find you, you think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet... as pain... trickster." _

"Stop it... Stop it! He's can't be using you as well... You can't be with him! You cannot be! You're a mortal!" Loki hurriedly whispered these words. "He should not be interested in such people like you! He cannot have given you such power to wield! He's corrupted you as-"

**_"Clocks ticking god of mischief..." _**A much darker voice reigned through his head, a familiar voice of a titan. Loki froze from his spot, not daring to look. He felt hands all over his body, he shook even more. **_"The chains that hold you are bounded no longer... run... that you may take what was ours."_**

The collar keeping his magic locked up barely made a hissing noise and was completely deactivated. Loki failed to realize this and instincts gone rouge. He turned around and grasp at the nearest thing he could find. _Choke_ it. _Kill_ it. _Hurt_ it, before it can hurt you. He needed an escape. This person was his escape. His eyes were foggy, thoughts clouded with fear.

He needed to run.

So he did. He dragged what he tried to kill, it might have use. He wasn't insane, he kept telling himself that. He was fine. He just needed to obey them. Obey them and he will be alright. Everything would be fine, all will be safe. He bashed the persons head. Someone tried to run towards him. He was being threatened. The voice lingered no longer. He attacked sending the man away.

His thoughts seem to clear for a moment. What had gotten him so agitated in the first place? He blinked, slowly coming to his senses. To see himself, or what looks like himself on the floor. A gash on the forehead and his brothers look alike half across the room, lying on the broken table.

Loki clasped his mouth, preventing himself from screaming. No. No! He was in control of his own body! The Chitauri were far from getting himself. Not that he was willing to admit it. He needed to run, else this place would be ruined. These people would get involved.

A single tear escaped his eye.

_Never doubt that I love you. _

He had never spoken truer words than that as he vanished off to a place he knew not where. Just to clear his head, to run... that was what he always did... running.

Loki settled himself in a dark alley, completely eluding his followers. He let himself drop and sat, leaning on the wall. He was far too tired. A lot has happened within the day and he knew not of what happened to his brother, if he still considered Thor as one. He knew not of the whereabouts of the Avengers. All he knew was that they were after him, it wasn't a saying, it was a _**promise. **_**  
**

_A death wish.  
_

Loki bitterly laughed. He was always amidst the chaos and suffering. A punishment he's long endured for many centuries. Truly, he believed, he was destined for nothing more than hurt and pain. It was a cycle... it never ends.

A soft rustling noise from the corner of the alley and Loki's attention was caught. A man with shades and a suit emerged with 5 heavy armed body guards. He was smiling deviously, though Loki was too tired to stand up and fight. He eyed the man, wondering if he'd inch closer but the man did not move.

His lips moved, but no words came out and the man simply left.

_Lip reading. _Loki hung his head as the words echoed in his head.

_"It's up to you trickster, join the winning side or fall in the pits of hell." _

Loki laughed silently as tears escaped him for the second time since he'd woken up. "I am far in Hel than many have already seen." He continued to laugh silently, shoulders heaving up and down. The decision was his.

* * *

**oOo**

Far away in the galaxy, in the darkest parts, sat the titan and his follower. The Titan grinned and crudely laughed before turning to the attention of his follower.

"Master." The Other spoke. "The Mortal is within some of the tesseract's control, rage and envy conquer him as does power and wit rival it. Your pet is in their hands."

**"So be it." **Thanos grinned. **"He will return what belongs to me and if he fail yet again, no chances shall be given any longer. The Jotun prince would fall in my hands as will the Aesir and Midgard." **

"Soon Masters." The Other hissed. "Your plans are matching that of the mortal. You have use of the three other mortals, you wish to use them as well" The Other received a nod from Thanos. "You wish to destroy conquer both worlds..."

**"They are my ties... let them slip not of your sight. The god of mischief will be running back to us soon..." **Thanos heaved and revealed his large grinning teeth. **"My possessions always come back to me... keep eyes on Midgard."**

"Yes Master." Other left, walking back to the darkness.

**_"Time's wasting away, Jotun Prince..."_**

* * *

**oOo  
**

**TBC...**

** Anyways... I have lots of plans in store for the next chapter so... can I please have some sweet loving reviews?  
**

**Tell me what you think? Please?  
**


	7. Chapter 7 - On the Run

**oOo**

Thor continued to pretend that he was happy about the situation but he couldn't help himself, knowing that his brother is out there somewhere, lost and confused as he once was. He knew his brother for years, they grew up together and though there may be secrets they held from each other, he knew for the fact that Loki did not cherish death nor did he love war.

The look on Loki's face when Thor confronted Loki on the balcony of Stark Towers, a single tear dropped from his eye as he stabbed his brother. Those painful stares he was given. He couldn't bare the thoughts that lingered in his head.

Half-way through the so-called interrogation that Natasha and the rest of the Avengers were doing, Thor had moved towards the window with his arms crossed, worried about his brother's safety.

There was something off about Loki ever since he was defeated a few days ago and Thor couldn't put his hands on it. He stopped himself from listening on the conversation the others were having with Rob, Chris and Tom. All he could think about was Loki and where he'd gone and why he had done what he did. Thor focused on the streets below, glaring intently at the window.

"_Why must you be so confusing, brother?" _Thor thought. _"You hide something, you lie but for what purpose?"_

Thor noticed a few changes in Loki's behavior though he may not be as smart as him, he could still observe it. Loki simply gave up when the hulk attacked him, which was not the case. Thor knew that Loki still has the strength to disappear and teleport elsewhere but why didn't he do so? Thor fought the Hulk before but he still had enough strength afterwards.

They were _gods_ after all.

Another was Loki's eyes, he had seen it go back from green and blue most of the time and it was highly unlikely for Loki to serve under someone else. _"I will **find** you brother, I will seek you justice and I am sorry for having wronged you."_

Thor was lost in his thoughts as the others noisily questioned Rob and the others. Natasha and Clint were the ones who asked the most questions and threatened Tony that if he started doing jokes and delaying the interrogation, Natasha would use a toothbrush to attack him.

Apparently, from what they gathered, the man sitting with them in the room is Rob Devan and he's 47 years old. He had chocolate brown hair, it was spiking up a little and he had no facial hair and looked a little younger than Stark without the beard.

"The two of you are ruining my fun!" Tony frowned, apparently wanting to learn more and probe the guy just to scare him. "I want to know a few things, have a family? Like Jarvis? Dummy? Butterfingers? Rhodey? Pep? Fury?"

"Why is Fury part of your family?" Clint raised an eyebrow as Tony shrugged.

"Who cares?" Tony eyed Rob. "So hot stuff… care to enlighten us?"

Rob looked at Chris and Tom and sighed, he wanted to tell the two so many things about their own world and how long they've been gone but he found it weird that they're not even worried about it.

"Yeah, I have a family of my own." Rob said. "A wife and two kids."

This snapped everyone's attention; even Thor's who walked back to the group and away from the window. He leaned on the couch behind Natasha and Clint. Steve was standing next to him and Banner while Tony sat on the armrest of the couch.

"Did you just say a wife and two kids?" Steve hopefully said. "I thought you were a little more like Tony, a bit…" He blushed. "Wild in some aspects."

"New vocabulary coming from you then capsicle." Tony laughed.

"He has two sons." Chris supplied. "The oldest is a teen and the younger one is still taking baby steps."

"Don't forget, he's the godfather of the Avengers." Tom added with a smile.

Rob laughed. "Yeah, I'm not surprised you're all shocked. I mean, these two did tell you that we acted you guys and knowing Tony Stark, he won't really commit. No offense, but your tip toeing with Pep."

Natasha looked at Rob and back to Stark. "Care to tell us more profile ideas? If you're done with that, tell us about what happened in that underground base."

"Uh." Rob turned to everyone, hoping to dance around the question of being inside the base.

"I'm a producer, singer, actor, script writer yada-yada. I worked as you." Pointing at Tony. "for three movies now or at least going to be three movies. Iron man 1 and 2 were a hit, the third one we're hoping will be. So will Thor 2."

"I'm just so awesome." Tony reeled as Thor bit back a laughter.

"What is a producer?" Thor raised an eyebrow. "You create things?"

"More or less, it's just a movie."

Rob brushed Thor off like Tony would, he didn't want to go into that because revealing the new enemies they were to face would end up in a chaotic break down. Not to mention that Tom and Chris were doing one hell of a good job keeping secrets too.

They all continued to question Rob about his profile and how he came to have kids and his past, _forgetting_ about the real questions that needed to be asked. He wasn't as closed as Tony was but they could care less since it was getting rather interesting. Thor payed little attention to it as much as possible, his worry for his brother was too much. He could feel it in the branches of Yggdrasil that something was amiss.

Thor's gaze turned to Tom, the polar opposite of Loki as Barton had said so before in one of their conversations, looked fairly pale in his complexion. The odd thing about this was the thoughts lingering about in Thor's mind. He could sense his brother in this man, the brother he grew up with in the past few centuries.

They may look differently but he could feel a huge similarity from Tom to his brother, Loki. Thor stared intently at Tom, not caring whether his stare was enough to break a hole in someone's head. That's when he saw it, Tom was looking outside the window, completely distracted and it looks as if he was in another world himself just like Loki.

An odd feeling lingered in his chest, wishing he could just ask the man what was going through his head, but sadly that task wasn't as easy as using Mjolnir. Thor reached for Mjolnir and danced it around his fingers while the group stopped questioning Rob and eyed Thor.

"Are you alright Thor?" Bruce asked.

"I am fine friends but for now, I do not wish to vacillate on this any longer." Thor narrowed his eyes. "I ask that we end this foolishness and back to the matter at hand. I feel the branches of Yggdrasil cry out, something is coming."

"What exactly are you talking about Thor?" Natasha questioned.

"Are you saying Loki's contacted the Chitauri already?" Clint almost shouted. "He's exhausted remember?"

"Nay friends! I simply ask that we question about the man that has taken the tesseract and what motive he uses. I fear for the nine realms and more over that we need to hurry and find my brother. I fear for his safety as well, he has not been the same since..."

Thor stopped eying Tom, who was still looking out of the window and his worry got deeper. Everyone noticed Thor's sudden pause and glanced to where he was looking and saw that Tom was indeed staring outside. The weather was growing darker and it had started to rain, not just because of Thor but because something was wrong, completely wrong. Chris gently nudged Tom to the side and he was earned by a confused look.

"Tom?" Rob asked, as the man flinched a little turning to them as if he was snapped from his daydream.

"What's everyone staring at?" Tom quietly wondered.

"You are." Chris eyed him. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know, should I be worried?" **So **_**innocent.** _

Tom heard a voice call out to him. **So _easy to break. _**He shuddered.

"Tom?" He heard them say again. "Tom?"

**So _useful _yet so ****worthless.**

Tom looked at them. "I'm fine, just tired. Don't worry about it."

Tom heard these words, not knowing why or what but he felt on edge. Earning a few more glances, he broke off from the thoughts as Thor spoke. He would question his feelings and thoughts later, now wasn't the right time to ponder on all of this, it must just be stress.

"Nay." Thor spoke up pointing the hammer. "You sense my brother, do you not?"

"I... I don't... I'm not..." Tom quivered as Thor interjected.

"As do the rest of you. We are connected, all of us are. Fate has brought you upon us for a reason, fate would not simply mess with such times and worlds drifting apart the real universe. Fate would be eager to fix it and not let such worlds meet. There is a reason for everything. It must happen this way."

"Unless.." Then it snapped, Tony clasped his hands together! "That's it!"

"What is it?"

Clint and Steve wondered while Natasha blankly stared at him like he was a lunatic. Seemingly as she was used to his sudden outbursts or epiphanies. Tony and Bruce suddenly got the realization of what Thor was talking about.

"That's what the bad guy _wants_!" Tony pressed.

"I don't get it." Steve frowned.

"To get our attention Captain! He wants us to suffer, to mess with us. That's why, because you guys..."

Pointing at the guests. "Practically lived our lives, so you understand us. You know our strengths and weaknesses and you can feel what we feel, not all of it- but some of it! That's it!"

"So if we're all connected-" Clint pieced it together.

"He's gonna use the tesseract to bring in our counterparts so he could use them against us or us against them." Bruce added. "It's not that hard to deject it all when we're not just neck-deep on this. These guys know our personal info right off the bat. It's easy to take one swipe of it like an ATM."

"What are we gonna do?" Steve asked.

"I know something." Rob piped up, the attention right past him.

"What is it?" Natasha glared.

"The man that used the tesseract, he looked like Mr. Anderson, you know from Matrix?" Rob embarrassingly smiled at the way he resembled the man to a character. "He looked like one of your Agents."

"We know, you said that before." Clint crossed his arms, itching to use his bow. "What else?"

"He said he was something to fear, that his plan was something big. To use the tesseract for his own personal gain for a new grander world. His first target was Tom, because he thinks that he's a god just like Loki but he was wrong and didn't continue with the plan."

"He is after my brother?" Thor swallowed.

"Why not?" Bruce interjected. "Loki's magic is the only thing that can power the cube now that his magic and the tesseract are connected."

"Another possibility." Tony waved around. "What else you got?"

"He said Tony knew him." Rob said, making the others flinch. "He said something like 'Revenge is sweet and Humiliation is common.' Something like that. He hates you a lot from what I can tell."

"It's safe to say, I don't remember anything going past Revenge and Humiliation." Tony supplied. "I have a lot of bounty on my head. That, I do admit. But no- I don't recall making an enemy. But- I do know Hammer industries hates me."

"That's probably because you make people angry." Steve pressed.

"Don't make me get Hulk, captain." Tony bitterly laughed. "He's on my side."

Rob continued avoiding conflicts. "He plans something, using us, he said but he didn't elaborate. Said he had business with someone."

"That business was probably with Loki." Tom said. "They were talking in the room for quite a long time, hard to say what they were talking about but it's a possibility that was his goal after he left you guys."

"But we've only been here for 2 days now." Chris spoke up. "I don't get how he can act that fast."

"2 days? You've been gone for 2 days?" Rob raised an eyebrow shouting as everyone turned to him. "Are you freaking kidding me? Is that why you two are acting so cool about this?! You two have been gone for 2 and a half-months!"

"What?" Tom and Chris's eyes widened.

"Everyone's been searching for you, hell, everyone is worried. They think some kind of terrorists or kidnappers attempted life on you, some say you're both dead. The whole world is looking for you. Two godly actors disappear at almost the same time or shortly after, doesn't that sounds suspicious?"

"We didn't know.. we're... we thought..." Tom was lost for words.

"We didn't think it would be that long, since..." Chris bit his lips.

Rob's outburst suddenly made him sound a lot like Tony which caused everyone to stand there shocked at the reaction. Bruce kept himself calm and collected, Steve was frowning, Clint and Natasha were trying to take in the information and gather as much to compose themselves.

"I think I know what happened." Bruce said. "The tesseract can use time and space to travel between the whole nine realms thing that Thor said, if it can also access to the smaller branches, then it can also mess with the time line given the right frequencies or how much heat and magic is used."

"Your saying that if you tweak how much magic is being used, then we're not going to mention how hot this thing is going to get given the degrees it'll reach," Tony said. " You're saying it can access between timelines after the given date that it could be weeks or months given how long it was tampered with. Also stating that we have no way to predict what happens or how long or even how we can get them back to the specific date they were disappeared to."

"In English please." Steve said. "I don't think the rest of us got that."

"Think of the tesseract as a clock." Bruce waved his arms around. "Now think of two clocks. The first clock is ours and the second one is their world." He points at Tom, Chris and Rob.

"Now, if our clock is working just fine, pretend that the tesseract is a child's hand. This child can't stop himself from touching the other clock, thus changing the time, while ours is still the same. The first clock is at 1 pm and the other clock is the same, when the second is tampered with the time is different."

"And if that child takes the things from the other world and into our place, surely the time is now off." Tony supplied.

"You're saying we can't get them back to their own original timeline?" Clint blinked. "Tom came earlier, Chris came next and a day later Rob stands here."

"It's not impossible." Bruce said. "But it will be difficult."

"But it is repairable?" Thor clenched his fists.

"Yes."

"Then we should not waste time." Thor looked at the window as the clouds grew even darker. Even the weather was in turmoil and it wasn't his doing this time.

"Alright, we're getting nothing with this." Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "What do you propose we do? We've been ordered by Director Fury not to engage Loki or anyone for that matter. Let alone the tesseract. We have to trace at least something."

"The man that took said he was going to another base." Rob whispered tiredly. "Said he had a new one that was given to him. He mentioned something about a council when I first woke up and experimenting on me, but I don't recall anything else mentioned."

"That's gotta be a good info." Natasha turned to Clint. "Come on, we're going back to Shield."

"Remember what the director said." Clint murmured. "He doesn't-"

"I know what he said." Natasha glared. "But I'm not going to stand here doing nothing. We're more useful at the base than here. I suggest Dr. Banner, that you and Stark track the tesseract down. Barton and I will search for this guy."

"While you're at it, Thor and Captain can search for Loki or at least figure out where he's hiding." Clint bit his lip. "If not, I'm freaking tracking the guy down myself."

"That is not necessary." Thor glared. "My brother is my responsibility."

"Yeah and you did a very good job at keeping him at bay." Clint received a murderous glare.

"Stop it. I suggest you keep an eye out on our guest, now that there's three of them." Natasha pulled Clint along as they walked to the elevator. "See you boys later."

"Они будут смерти из нас."Clint saying something in Russian that Natasha quickly understood and smacked him on the head for it replying "Бороться с ней!" The others stared at where the elevator door closed and sighed, not wanting to further push the assassins off the edge.

Tony looked at the three. "Now what are we going to do with you?"

"If I may suggest." Tom rubbed his injured head. "A rest would be best for all of us."

* * *

**oOo**

Loki sat there for a long time, he had ushered his leather clothes away with magic and only left a midgardian dark green tunic and black pants to blend in. His wounds were still painful and visible, but payed no mind to them as his thoughts lingered elsewhere.

He was drowning his thoughts with measly things and other midgardian subjects. Versing with himself and simply talking, the midgardians walking by gave a quick stare but left him on his own. Little of the humans walked the path to the alleyway so he had no qualms with it.

Though, how many times he tried to distract himself from the real situation, he couldn't help but come back to it. He put a hand to his head and slid back his hair, grinding his teeth at each other.

_The decision was his, yes?_ It just keeps entering his mind, he was lost for some reason, the chitauri still has hold of him. Not to mention that another one, a mortal in Thanos' hand is controlling him as well, but for how long? How long does he have to endure this? He closed his eyes and buried his face in his palms but flinched when he felt water.

He looked at the sky and saw drops were already forming and not to mention the temperature drop, but that wasn't what he was worried about. His thoughts quickly lingered to Thor, matching it with the weather.

_"You seem troubled Thor, what is it that troubles you so?"_ Loki wondered, what could have put Thor on edge that the weather would drastically change.

Now he was more worried about the task given to him. He had to think, use his silver-tongue, he was the liesmith, he could lie, but to who? Could he do such a thing again to his brother?

_"Why am I always burdened with these things?" _Loki shook his head as the rain poured over him, drenching his clothes.

He felt no _cold. _Only that of _pain. _

_****__"Time's wasting away, Jotun Prince..."_ He heard Thanos speak, the words echoing in his head. What should he decide? He was already neck-deep in this already. He no longer wanted to do this on his own, he wished for help. _  
_

_"Thor."_ Loki said without thinking, then it hit him. _"THOR! That's it! Thor would understand, would he not? He would know what I have been through. Surely, he would believe me?" _

Loki pondered it for a little while longer then shook and lowered his head, staring at the drops falling from his hair as he could see his breath turn into an icy chill. The weather was getting worst, the rain was getting thicker by the second.

_"No."_ Loki closed his eyes. _"Thor __would not believe me. After all I've done, he would surely despise and lock me up. Just like the others. He would see me unworthy, horrid, despicable. He would do what is best for midgard and Asgard, even detain the monster he calls his brother." _Loki looked at the dark sky. _"I have no arguments on this."_

He was laughing lightly and silently, glad for the rain as it his his _tears, _hid his pains. It wasn't his decision to subjugate the earth, but it was his plan, so he could get back to Asgard. It was all but strategy, to him.

_"Little do they know the insanity this is putting me through?" _Loki laughed silently. _"A year, I've gone for a year and we are no longer brothers, then he found me."_

He told Thanos that earth can be conquered and it would be easier than Asgard, for Loki didn't want Asgard to fall to the Titan's hands. It was the only way, during that time, he still held firm affiliation with Asgard, still felt his duties as an Aesir.

To protect it from threat, to make Thor and Odin acknowledge him for the sacrifice he's done for them. Earth was nothing to him after all, what would a little sacrifice do to protect the home he grew up on.

_"If it could ever be called a home." _Loki kept staring at the sky, leaning his head on the concrete wall. Tears mixing with the rain, unnoticed by passerby's and anyone looking closely. _"Who would ever take a broken god?" _

**So _innocent._ **Loki heard, as his eyes widened. He bit back a growl.

"Stop it." He brought his hands to his ears.

**So _easy to break. _**He closed his eyes, fists clenching.

"No.." He whispered.

**So _useful _yet so **_**worthless!**_The voice screamed at him, Loki couldn't bare it anymore as he stood up shakily.

His decision was final.

He was going back to Thor, be honest with him but not all honest, lead him on like he always did to keep Thor safe. He may not admit it fully but Thor was the closest thing he had to home and that was the only thing he still considered out of all the pains.

Loki moaned in pain and felt his magic drain from him. That man used too much on the tesseract earlier and escaping wasn't at all easy.

"Ow." He touched his neck that still had the collar on, but it was useless now, it couldn't bind his magic anymore but he couldn't simply take it off for Thanos had warded it with magical spells that would keep him at bay.

Loki looked around, the rain was thick and there was a fog surrounding the area.

_"Where are you Thor?" _He wondered looking around. He was lost in this world.

Now that Loki thought about it, he had no time to wander about midgard, he always had Agent Barton tell him where to go during his visit on earth. This time, he had no one to guide him around the place. Confused, he began to walk to where he felt his magic last drain from him. He eyed the people running for shelter from the rain, and soon, one caught his eye.

He saw the man again from the other side of the street, this time with no body guards armed, he was smiling and holding an umbrella to keep him from getting wet. Loki stopped and stared at the man that was smiling at him. From behind Loki saw _'the other'_ hovering behind the man, darkly grinning.

_"I am sorry for this Thor, but it is the best way I know of." _Loki thought as he walked in the rain, passing a last glance at the Agent Blake.

**"There are no other choices to take..." **Loki heard the voice breathing down his neck, turning his back on Agent Blake and continued to walk faster, not looking back. **"Heed my words... or let death reign upon your loved ones. It is a promise, I intend to keep." **

With that said, Loki ran.

Faster than he thought he could with the immense pain. He wished to leave, but he was left with nothing. Nothing left to loose, only the ones he cared for. He could not speak of it, nor could he do anything about it.

_"I am sorry for what I am about to do Thor." _Loki bit his lips as he ran to tower.

When will this facade end? When will this false treachery be brought light? When will Thor realize his brother is at the hands of a madman? No choices but to listen. Only fear and life hanging at the balance.

_"Never doubt the words spoken truer than of others." _

As Loki ran, Agent Blake could only laugh and whisper. "Run, my little lab rat. You'll bring me what I want."

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...**

******Reviews fuel me to write faster! So can I get some more? And tell me what you think? Any advice or anything you'd like to see? Next chapter I will focus on Loki... and a few other things. :D I love you guys!  
**


	8. Chapter 8 - An Acceptable Risk

**oOo**

Inside the room, Tom sat sideways, leaning his head on the glass window and stared outside. His gaze upon the city of New York as the lights colored the streets below. Tom sat there hugging his knees to his chest as a warm cozy bed sheet covered his shoulders. He kept staring outside, his gaze not faltering for one moment as he analyzed the drops from the glass window.

Chris sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window with his feet crossing each other. He looked at Tom with worry spreading across his face. This wasn't like Tom at all, being the silent and distant.

He wonders if all his fears would come true, concerned by the fact that they have a certain connection with their counterparts. Afraid of what would happen if those feelings lingered for so long. Questions are asked if they would ever go away when all this is over or when they acquire the tesseract and return home.

That was one of the things he wasn't sure about. Will they go mad or lose themselves? Will they _forget?_ Or turn into something they're not? He doesn't know, nobody does.

Chris sat there eying Tom, like an _older brother_ would look after the younger one. He feels as if it's coming true. He didn't have the courage to ask Tom whether or not he feels the same way, wanting to distance himself from the world just like Loki. He didn't want to ask, afraid of being rejected.

Who was he to ask?

Chris stopped thinking when the door of the bathroom opened with a click. He turned his head but didn't move from his spot. Rob walked out of the bathroom with fresh clothes just like the other two, he had a damp towel circling his neck clearly done with his shower. He looked tired just like the rest of them.

Rob sighed and walked in between The bed and Tom. He stopped momentarily, staring outside the window. It still hasn't stopped raining. It's now 7:35 pm, now dark and cold and they still haven't eaten any dinner. Not that he minded though, nor did Tom and Chris, it was mostly because they were too tired to eat anything. Too disturbed to move, too on edge to do anything and too tired to keep thinking. There's only so much a human could take in a day, much less endure it for a week.

_Weakness_.

The most vulnerable of them all was Tom, they weren't even sure what to do with him. The Avengers could see it, and they knew that it's possible that Tom could feel what Loki feels. That Chris could see eye to eye with Thor. That Rob himself, could see Tony Stark as a person nobody else could see. And for Tom to see into Loki like glass and water, it's the very reason the Avengers are frightened to a point where they'll do anything.

It's the whole reason why Tom could understood so much yet know so little.

"Are you two alright?" Rob choked out to say.

"We're fine." Chris mumbled. "Just shocked at the fact that it's been two and a half-months and we've only been here for what? Two and a half days? We just can't see the point of struggling so much when we can't do anything more. The Avengers are here to help so the best way is to just let them help."

"Well it's hard to not think about it. We're both fathers, Chris."

"I know, I miss my baby girl and my wife. And I'm sure you miss your family too, but there's nothing we can do about it now. We're stuck here til we figure out what's going to happen to us."

"Not to mention we're in a different world." Tom said, Rob and Chris stared at him.

Tom didn't like the feeling of being watched and turned himself away from the window, focusing his gaze to Rob and Chris. He felt this wave of guilt, anger, fear and uncertainty fill inside him. _Guilt_, for letting Loki get away. _Anger_, since he wasn't able to do anything. _Fear_, for his friends and their safety. _Uncertainty_, on so many levels and situations. He let his head drop on the glass window with a '_tap_', he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I thought this was going to be fun. I guess I was wrong."

"We all have this irrational way of thinking, Tom, don't blame yourself." Chris murmured.

"What are you feeling now?" Rob asked. "I mean, I've been meaning to ask for a while now since I got here. I don't or I'm not sure about Thor's theory of connection. It all sounds, absurd to me. I don't feel anything."

"I don't know what I'm feeling." Chris honestly said.

"I don't know either." Tom opened his eyes and went back to looking outside. "I feel normal, I feel fine. Just tired and a little worried for Loki but otherwise, I'm doing okay. Please, just... don't ask me again... I feel tired enough, answering."

"We'll stop. Right Rob."

"Glad to hear you are okay." Rob nodded. "Look, I wanna ask you guys if we should tell them about this new threat? Or whatever it is we know about them and their... _future_."

"You're seriously planning on telling them?" Chris' eyes widened. "I don't think they're ready."

"I'm not going to tell them unless you think I should tell them." Rob ran a hand to his hair.

"What are we suppose to tell?" Tom wondered.

"I don't know... warn them about Mandarin or this Titan that's after Loki. What about the infinity Gauntlet? We can't let that guy take it. Sure, he's worlds away but we all know the story. He's after Loki, the Avengers don't know that. That mad Titan would scour the worlds just to find him and put him to his knees."

"We can't just do that." Chris protested. "They'll find it hard to believe. Loki escaped remember, they'll think he's plotting something. They just won't protect him unless they see reason. Thor will but he's not enough."

"That's why I'm questioning this. How do we do this?"

"Maybe we shouldn't do anything." Tom said, earning questioning looks.

"What about the dark elves or whatever it is that will trample Asgard? Should we really be keeping all this to ourselves? Come on Tom, you know Loki more than the rest of us, you read more than we did, surely you know a few stuffs."

"It's not ours to meddle with." Tom whispered. "Think about it, the whole timeline is already messed up. Thor and Loki are still here on earth whereas they should be in Asgard already. With Loki locked up and Thor with Jane. Not this!"

"He's got a point." Chris agreed. "But what are we going to do? We can't just let all of this pass. I mean, there's this other bad guy too that has Loki's scepter and the tesseract. And he's after Loki's magic."

"I managed to get nothing on the guy, just his face, hiding behind that sunglasses he wears." Rob rubbed his eyes. "Stupid little arrogant son of... It's his fault we're here in the first place."

"There's no use getting angry about it."

Rob felt his stomach growl. "Hmm, I'm curious. Hey Jarvis?"

_Yes sir? _

Rob, Chris and Tom jumped at the sudden voice surrounding the room, but quickly relaxed to it. Tom closed his eyes silently breathing as Chris shot a worried look at Rob who rubbed his chin and an idea popped into his head. His stomach growled in protest. That would have to wait.

"Is there anyone in the kitchen right now?"

_Nobody is occupying the kitchen._ The A.I. replied. _ Are you planning on heading there, Sir?  
_

"Maybe. I'm slightly hungry." Rob looked at Tom and Chris who simply waved at him to keep going as he kept his eyes on Tom, who seemed to be on his own thoughts, clearly not listening.

"Where are the others? All of them. They left us here with no rules and just went away and disappeared to god knows where. Are they in the tower?"

_Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark are down in the labs, Sir. Mr. Rogers is at the gym with Mr. Odinson, releasing some of their excess strength. As for Agent Barton and Agent Romanov, they are in Shield headquarters preferably 'digging' for information. _

"And the rules?" Chris tried, still keeping his eye on Tom.

_The only rules Mr. Stark has given, is "no breaking his stuff." He has said more involuntary words but I deduced it to make it more polite. Does that answer most of your questions, Sirs? _

"Got it." Rob smirked. "Thanks Jarvis."

_You're welcome Sir. Feel free to roam about the tower as you please. Mr. Stark has given you access to all the upper floors but he does not want you to leave the tower. He said it is better if you stay on one floor where they can find you._

"Right- got it- thanks. Are you two hungry?" Rob looked at the two. "Maybe I can ask Jarvis to prepare us something. I do have Tony Stark's voice and he seems to agree with a few things. We're allowed up at the kitchen and that's good enough freedom for me. Let's just, take our mind off things."

"I'm a bit hungry too, and it's getting late. A little dinner won't hurt." Chris stood up from the bed. "You want some food, Tom?"

"No thank you." Tom kept staring out the window, waiting. "I think I'll go to bed early. Too tired, and I think that hit I got on the head did some damage."

"I'll bring you something to eat later, think of it as a not yet mid-night snack." Rob smiled walking out the door. "See yah."

"Thank you."

Tom stood up and dragged himself towards the bed, crawling to his spot and covering himself with the bed sheet wrapping it tightly around him. His head hitting the pillow and he felt himself drifting off to cold slumber. His chest heaving up and down calmly.

At least, that's what Chris sees.

He stood near the door, holding the knob, staring at Tom. There's this weird feeling in him that he didn't want to leave Tom alone in the room. He felt something clawing at the back of his mind, telling him to stay. He brushed it off, hoping the feeling would go away on it's own.

_"I'll come back later." _He told himself.

He closed the door and followed Rob. His footsteps echoing through the hallway. Tom slightly opened his eyes, looking around the room, sweat dripping from his forehead down to his neck. The cold air visible from his sharp breaths. He tried to call out to somebody, but the darkness took his thoughts away and he let himself slip in the dark.

His eyes closing completely shut.

Little did they know, that Tom needed them more than they think.

* * *

**oOo**

Loki kept running, not knowing where he was going. For hours, he'd been drenched, sore and tired. He tried keeping himself calm and composed but he was frightened that if he ever stopped running, they would find him. But his knees were about to give out, he stopped, leaning himself against the wall.

He was still nowhere near Stark towers.

_"Why isn't Thor looking for me?" _Loki thought as he ran a hand to his drenched hair. _"Why isn't anyone looking for me?"_

Loki snorted, perhaps they've given up but it wasn't like them to do that. Unless it was Director Fury who ordered it, he could possibly be forming up a plan. Loki shook his head and kept on walking, his mind trailing off to Thor.

_"Why is it that when I ask for your help, you are never there?" _He frowned.

Loki touched the device on his neck, earlier, not more than 3 hours ago, he tried to use his magic. Not noticing the device was yet again, activated he got jolted by a powerful electric shock and was amplified by the drenched clothing.

_Of course. _Loki laughed.

They only deactivated the device inside Stark tower so that the **deal** would **ensure complete agreement**. _They have leverage over me. _That was earlier, he didn't try again, knowing the device would attack him and render him even more useless than he already was.

The chitauri and Thanos along with this mortal man, teaming against him and the Avengers. The _nerve! _Loki bit his lips, he wasn't just going to stand there taking orders from someone much less a mortal. Thanos had beaten him for information before, about Asgard he didn't give in though and averted Asgards attention to that of Midgard. A great plan, he thought, what an easy way to get Thor's attention as well as the All-father. But no... they can't see through all the **ruse** he created.

_"That oaf..." _Loki looked sideways for incoming cars and crossed the street, he kept walking and felt almost out of breath. _"The roads never end, I'm touched by Midgard's structure. It is like a maze, always something interesting at the end of every corner."_

Tired of running, he walked a steady pace, not faltering or looking back. The rain dripping and echoing through his ears. Loki only then noticed after an hour, that some of the humans were offering him an umbrella or some form of shelter, but he dared not take it for his pride or what's left of his ego was the only thing he had left. He had no time to think of his needs, he needed to get back to the tower.

That was it! That was the only thing he wanted.

_"I am going to murder the humans that built this city, let them be damned by making it so confusing!"_

He could feel himself growing hotter on the inside, not sure if he caught a midgardian decease or something. He payed no mind to it again, hoping that he was only on edge and that perhaps the feeling would soon fade away once he got out of the rain.

Loki turned to another corner and stopped, gripping his hair tightly and frantically messing with it in annoyance. _"By Odin's beard! Does it ever end?" _That was, until he saw a familiar place. A small area near the foot of a bridge, it had damp cloths covering the chairs and tables.

_"This place?" _Loki stopped and eyed the entire scene. _"If I am right then Stark tower should be just above me."_

He was right, he was standing at the small outside shop that offered Captain America coffee, a place where you can simply sit, waiting for Iron man to fly by. Yes, this was it. The place was closed due to the strong weather but he brushed the small thoughts off. He eyed the tower again and noticed that the lights on the very top were flickering, it was probably Stark and Banner doing some horrible experiment.

_"They would not like me back." _Loki gave a short exhale and walked to the tower, feeling even more tired than he was a few hours ago. His thoughts running through his mind like a rag doll being tossed about.

_"But it is better than walking the streets alone." _He looked at the dark shadows from the alley, he could feel someone watching him. He knew something was there, he could not see it clearly but he knew it. There was always something or someone watching him.

They would not let him go so easily.

**_"Heed my words..."_**He heard Thanos' voice echo in his head. **_ "Or let death reign upon your loved ones. It is a promise, I intend to keep."_ **

_"If I am being forced into this play, then so be it."_ Loki glared at the floor, his pace steady, heading for the tower.

_"But know this... I do it my way!" _

* * *

**oOo**

Chris sat on the chair eating drinking tea and facing Rob, who was leaning on the counter, chewing on left over pizza from the fridge. His mind completely void of any good thoughts. Rob was staring at him and frowned. Rob walked up to him and sat in front of him.

"Start talking."

Chris' eyes widened. "What?"

"I said start talking, you've been staring at me for the past 30 min. I can't eat right with you burning a whole through my head. You know you can talk to me."

"Right. Sorry." Chris mumbled. "I'm just worried, not just for my baby girl or my wife. I know they're safe, worried as they are at least they're safe. It's Tom I'm worried about and I can't get him out of my head."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one." Rob mumbled. "Look, I think something's wrong with Tom."

"You see it too?"

"Not really no." Rob tapped the table.

"Then what's the point of-"

"There's just something off about him." He quickly said. "He's not his peppy, smiley and happy self. He's just tired and distant. Even more pale looking and stuff. I can't put it to words. It's just a distressing feeling, seeing him like this. It's not like him to completely shut us off."

"Do you-" Chris looked away. "Do you think they're right?" Rob raised an eyebrow. "About the theory that we could possibly be connected to them somehow because of the tesseract? It's not all impossible, is it?"

"I can't say, I don't feel Tony Stark ramming in my head yet. Do you?"

"I don't know." Chris shook his head. "It's absurd to say but it feels like I'm the older brother here, I feel like Thor. Worried about Tom, constantly looking for some sort of approval for the things I say. It's just there, lingering in my head. Not yet taking over, no, the knowledge is just there."

"They can add paranoid to the list then." Rob took a drink from the fridge and drank a glass. "Look, we're just tired. It's been a long day, a really long one in fact. Just be there for him when he needs you."

"And if he doesn't want to be helped?"

Rob laughed. "Chris, he's not Loki. You should know that both Loki and Tom are different people. They have this way of showing how they feel. Tom's more socially active than even you, and that's a given fact."

"Right. I'm worrying too much I suppose. It's not everyday we get into a new world and dance around the fault line right?"

"Exactly." Rob smiled. "Lighten up a bit, I suppose. There's nothing we can really do now but wait for the Avengers to make the right call."

"Are you still planning on telling them?" Chris felt his lips curl up.

"Not yet sure. If it's dire, maybe." Rob shrugs. "Tom's right though, it's not ours to meddle with. He's right on a great number of things earlier."

"Same old Tom I suppose." Chris felt a chuckle work it's way out of his throat. _"Maybe I am worried too much, I shouldn't have let that information get the better of me."_

"So, what pizza for Tom?"

"Yeah, pizza for Tom." Chris stood up and eyed the window, the storm was getting worse.

Rob placed the pizza on a plate and the other hand he was holding a glass of water. Chris walked forward, waiting for Rob to follow. The elevator door opened with a '_ting_.' Chris and Rob stopped dead at their tracks. Rob dropped the plate and the glass and stood there looking at the elevator.

"Oh my god..." The words escaped from Rob's lips.

"I thought..." Chris couldn't help but stare.

Standing there in the elevator was Loki, drenched with water and deadly pale. His injuries clearly visible, some have re-opened and gashes of blood could be seen on his clothes. One hand leaning on the wall supporting his thin frame and the other hanging limp. A smile tugging at Loki's lips as he saw Rob and Chris, a familiar feeling settled in his stomach.

"I suppose help won't go unnoticed." He muttered, feeling deadly tired.

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**oOo**

**TBC...**

**Urgh! I said this would be a Loki but no! Argh... sorry.  
**

**Please review and tell me what you think.  
**


	9. Chapter 9 - Like Shattered Glass

**Hi guys, hoping that you'd drop by my other story... **_"Voices of Eternity"_**, it's about Thor and Loki. So please drop by if you have time... Thank you! **

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**oOo**

Loki eyed Stark towers, he was on the other side of the street leaning on a light post. Loki stared at the tower long enough to think of a plan, then turned his gaze to the front of the tower, still outside he could see a woman siting there taking calls and paper works from the other employees, probably the receptionist of the building.

Loki tried to think but his thoughts were clouded. He shook his head, his vision was blurry. It seems that he used so much energy earlier that his body couldn't contain his magic any longer. His body was healing itself and draining even more energy that's left. Soon, he'd be completely drained that even a bullet would pass through his skin.

"No... no..." Loki sighed. "This is not right."

Loki felt himself _drained_ of every energy he had left. He couldn't enter, he knew that. A plan, he had to think of a plan! Enter inside, gain Thor and the Avengers trust. Give that man, who's Thanos' pet, what he deserves! Enter.. yes... but it was wrong, he couldn't enter. If he did, they would recognize him sooner and haul him off to a cell again.

_No more cells_, he had to follow Thanos and that man.

There wasn't a choice anymore but he was going to do it _his way._

Loki leaned himself to a post and touched the collar. For a moment earlier, he was free, the next he was yet again fooled. That man had control over him, whether he liked it or not. The device Stark had was rigged and completely harmful to him. He groaned in annoyance as he tapped a small portion of his magic, hoping to use it to get into the Tower undetected. He felt some power spark on the tip of his fingers and silently screamed, biting his lips when he felt a jolt of electricity from the collar.

_"No, they must know I am here for this plan to work." _Loki bit his lips. _"The only way is for them to notice I am back."_

He had to endure it.

_"I will gain their trust and gain my freedom." _

He leaned heavily against the pole and breathed uneasily.

The pain will dull soon and he'd pass out anyway, the figure was still following him and he wasn't about to give up. If he was being pressed again by Thanos, he would do things his way now. He conjured a clone inside the elevator of the building and held it up long enough for it to relay the message, all while he felt the jolt of electricity flowing into his body.

He bit his lips, clutching at his wet clothing.

The rain was making it worse, it was amplifying the voltage. He moaned and trashed a little, looking around, he saw nobody on the street. He looked up as the rain got heavier and the sky grew darker.

_"Please hurry..." _Loki hissed in pain, clutching his stomach. _"I do not have much time left." _

Moments later as the elevator door opened, Loki's clone emerged. He asked for help, kindly so they wouldn't run. Rob and Chris stared at the Loki before them, bloodied and bruised, speechless and tired themselves, they kept silent. They fear that they might be in on another run for their life if Loki was fully back to health. Sadly, Loki was in no condition to fight, they could clearly see it.

Loki was leaning heavily on the elevator wall and a faint green glow surrounding him.

Rob walked forward a little, satisfied that Loki didn't move an inch on the elevator but he did notice Loki clutching at his stomach and silently hissing. Chris saw it too, Loki seemed different from earlier, he was more exhausted and ill-looking. Loki stared at the two, waiting, he had no time to wait. He was about to open his mouth when he was interrupted.

"What are you doing here?" Rob raised his voice, acting tough. "I thought you left?"

"I am in need of your assistance." Loki heaved.

"Why did you come back?"

"I said..." Loki growled, clutching his stomach harder and biting his lips. "I am in need of assistance! Can you not-"

Loki coughed violently, covering his mouth as the magic containing the illusion faltered a little.

"Rob, something's wrong. Don't you remember Tom feeling, _tired_, earlier?" Chris turned to Rob, worried about his friend, they turned back to Loki. "I think we should be helping him, we're all connected remember."

"I ask you this one time for assistance." Loki coughed, closing his eyes. "Can you not grant that?"

"You're the one affecting Tom so much." Rob whispered and walked forward but Loki backed away.

"Don't touch it, it will disappear." Loki whispered.

Rob stared for a moment and backed away a little, still not giving in. For one thing he's learned about Tony Stark, he doesn't take danger as a threat. At least, not that much. Rob took a quick glance at Chris, who was still a bit shocked to why he was there. Rob shook away the thoughts, Chris could be thinking of Tom right now.

Apparently, the Loki in front of them looked battered and bruised. He just hoped that Tom wasn't feeling the same thing Loki was feeling. _Now that, would be a problem._

"What the hell happened to you?" Rob recalled. "They said you escaped using magic, now you come crawling back here. You're the bad guy."

"I am injured, pathetic mortal. Can you not see that?" Loki glared, having a hard time breathing and speaking.

"Injured or not, you're still a threat."

"Can we not argue about this later when my real body is inside?" His labored breathing sounded. "I am not truly here, my body is below this tower, at this moment, on the other side of the street. He is still holding this illusion until you agree to come get him."

"He's still out there?" Chris turned to the window and back at Loki. "It's still raining."

"Isn't that obvious." The clone could barely keep itself standing, flickering in a green glow. "You must hurry, my real body is about to fall into darkness. Using magic is causing more damage to my body. If it keeps going like this, it will be critical."

"Hold on a second." Rob narrowed his eyes. "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

"Does it look like-" The clone stopped for a moment, looking out the window.

The clone kept staring at the window, his body flickering violently and then it ceased. Chris and Rob stared at Loki, who still kept his eye on the window. Loki slumped forward but kept himself balanced, the clone was shivering and was yet again flickering in a green mist.

The _magic_ was _fading_ away, rather painfully as they could see.

"Rob I think we should do something." Chris looked at the clone as it turned it's gaze back at them. _"He looks awful."_

"I'm not sure." Rob shook his head.

"I don't think he's lying right now. Remember what Tom told us, that Loki wasn't himself and that he was talking to someone else in the room. That person could be manipulating him. We might as well get his side of the story."

"I don't know what the hell is going on." Rob rubbed his forehead. "I'm still getting used to all this universe travel."

"Yeah well-"

"I hate to interrupt." The clone stood straight, wincing in pain. "Though I believe I must do so for I have no time left. I will speak the truth of what had transpired earlier, if you would take me back in. It is not safe-"

"What do you mean not safe?" Rob raised an eyebrow.

"That man that took you is after my magic." Loki lowered his voice, embraced himself. "He is outside. He kept following me."

Before Rob and Chris could react, the rest of the Avengers that were in the tower came with weapons. They emerged from the stairs and pointed their weapons at Loki. Bruce and Tony were standing there behind Steve, who was holding his shield and Thor, who was pointing Mjolnir at Loki.

"Holy Mother of-" Tony stopped and stared. "You look like shit, Reindeer games."

Loki stood there, wobbling on his feet but he still had his defenses up. The tension in the air was great and the severity of the dangerous level was high. Rob and Chris backed away, knowing it might not end well. Bruce, Tony, Steve and Thor surrounded Loki but kept their distance.

"Jarvis felt your magic spark up." Tony said confidently. "Stop using it, the collar was made to prevent magic. You're going to get yourself killed."

Loki just stared at them, like they meant nothing to him. Loki kept his eyes on Thor, who stood there aiming Mjolnir at him. Loki snorted and a small smile tugged on his lips. He shook his head and coughed violently, ceasing for a moment to let the others take in the situation.

"Loki surrender now and we won't harm you." Thor growled.

"As if you can injure me further than the state I am already in." Loki embraced himself again, green flickering about.

"Don't make this harder on yourself, Loki." Bruce piped in. "Surrender now or the other guy will play."

"Come get me." Loki whispered, his voice sounded less threatening than he realized, giving away his pain.

"What's happening?" Steve stared at Loki's violent image shattering.

"It is a clone." Thor spoke up only then realizing. He lowered Mjolnir. "Loki, why have you come here? What is the purpose of this visit after escaping? Surely you did not think you could jest us."

"I don't think he can hear you, Thor?" Tony walked forward.

"_Brother, come get me-_" Loki whispered, tears swelling in his eyes, but they never fell. One last look at Thor before he disappeared into thin air.

Thor lunged for Loki but tip-offed to the side when the clone suddenly vanished on the spot. Thor growled in frustration and slammed Mjolnir to the nearest wall. Steve walked towards him and tried to calm him down, just enough to clear out the dark atmosphere Thor was creating.

"Damn Point Break, easy on my wall and furniture." Tony frowned, flailing his arms. "That's marble and one hell of an expensive piece of ancient tapestry hanging on it! And Loki got away- right- bummer. At least I got a track when he uses magic again."

"If he uses." Bruce said.

"So what.. Loki's back here again, he's obviously plotting something big. I can tell. Villains always do."

"Do not brand my brother, Man of Iron." Thor gritted his teeth glaring at Tony. "You do well not to speak of him in jest while in front of me."

"Loki's back." Steve breathed. "Should we call in Director Fury?"

"He told us not to go after Loki." Bruce said. "But he also said that if he does show up, we capture him and keep him contained here. Leave Fury alone in all circumstances, remember?"

"My brother is _injured_. He would not call me _brother_ so idly." Thor looked at Chris and Rob, glaring at them. "The two of you, what has my brother spoken of to you? I know he gave words, tell me. I wish to know! If he wanted to speak it would be the two of you. Be quick, I am not in the mood of being patient."

Rob turned to Chris and back at Thor.

"He said he _needed_ our help."

"What _kind_ of help?" Tony wondered. "After all the crazy things he's done today! Do you honestly think that I'd help him? I freaking almost cared for him when he had that fit earlier! Almost, okay! He's tricked us more than once already!"

"Nobody's that good of an actor, Tony." Bruce spoke from behind him.

"He's the god of lies, Bruce."

"Think about it, why would Loki pretend to have that seizure? Why use his magic when it's already dangerous? Why would he conjure up a clone if he's not alright? Why put up an effort at all when he knows he doesn't have the chance?"

"I don't follow." Tony shrugged, not wanting to seem bothered.

"Think Tony. It's just not possible that he could act all that out. He's not the type to simply kneel or degrade himself so low that we'd believe him. The other guy could smell crazy on Loki, but now, it's just different. He's bordering on both. What do you think?"

"I don't know." Tony shrugged. "To fool us all and think we can leave him alone? Isn't that the logical explanation? Are you saying he's sane and insane at the same time?!"

"That's not entirely-"

"He's injured, you should come get him." Chris supplied, earning eyes at his direction. "Thor knows, you all saw the state his clone was in. I don't think he can put up a good image anymore. It's not like he's doing this on his own. Tom and I know Loki and what happened to him. It wasn't his _choice_."

"Not his choice?! To hell with that answer!" Tony shouted.

"What do you mean, not his choice?" Thor's eyes widened.

"The chitauri were more his enemies than you are." Chris muttered loud enough. _"Maybe it's better if Loki would just start talking. I should leave Tom to do this. He's better with words."_

"My brother did this for the sake of subjugating your entire race and proving the Aesir wrong! He let this war start, do not tell me that it was not his choice! I asked him to help us during the war and he refused, stabbing me with his dagger and joining those vile creatures in battle! Tell me that was not his choice because it was!"

"Calm down Thor, I'm sure there's an explanation." Steve patted Thor on the shoulders. "Did he tell you anything else besides being injured and wanting help?"

"He's outside." Rob said, earning confused stares. "The guy who took me, he's after Loki's magic. Loki seemed, scared, somehow. I'm not sure. He said Loki was being followed."

"Thor, follow me." Steve said pushing the elevator door opened. "We're getting Loki."

"What do you want Tony and I to do?" Bruce wondered. "Last time we separated, Loki escaped."

"Dr. Banner, you and Tony, you guys stay in the labs. Thor and I will call you if we need any help. We're going to check things outside. Rob and Chris will stay here, it's not like they're going to leave so soon. Anything else you want to add? Wait, where's Tom?"

A small leap of beat in their hearts happened as they looked across the room. Tony's worried look, Bruce's curiosity, Steve's widened eyes and Thor's anxious look. The Avengers eyed the two in the room who knew of what was happening without their eyes on it.

"Where's Tom?" Steve raised an eyebrow. "Why isn't he with you? Did he- Is he?"

"He's in the room Tony gave us. Sleeping." Rob quickly said. "He's sick, I think. Did you take his temperature?"

Chris bug-eyed when Rob turned to him.

"No, I didn't. We didn't check, we didn't think that we needed to. He's just resting. He said he was just tired and wanted to get some rest, we stayed here so we could get some food."

"Is he alright?" Bruce wondered, curiously thinking. "I could check on him if you want."

"Not sure." Chris shrugged. "We do need some help, I guess. We think that Loki is somewhat affecting Tom, Thor did say we were all connected somehow because of the tesseract. Could that be it?"

"I'll check up on Tom, you guys could go and check on Loki and bring him to the lab." Bruce was ready to walk away when a hand grabbed him from behind.

It was _Thor. _

The man had pleading eyes, thanking him in silence for accepting to help Loki. Bruce had doubts but still, he wasn't that much of a heartless person. Besides, he wanted to see what Asgardian Anatomy looked like, or whatever information he could get on foreign DNA and other weirdly unexplained science.

"Where is Loki?" Thor turned to Chris.

"Loki's waiting outside."

"Do you think he is alright?" Thor's worried expression never left his face.

"We don't know if he's still conscious or not. He wanted to be let in, probably because his magic was drained. He was frightened of that guy, I think. He was whispering most of the conversation and hissing."

"Where exactly outside?" Steve eyed the rain outside, momentarily.

"He's on the other side of the street near the light post." Rob supplied with a huff. "You have to hurry, he's... I'm not sure if he's alright. The way he was talking earlier..."

"I agree with your counterpart Tony Stark." Thor boomed.

"What?"

"We cannot let this opportunity pass. The longer we wait here, the more dangerous it is for Loki outside. If that man is out to get my brother's magic then I will use _force_ to protect him. I _will_ bring him here-"

"Hold on, I didn't-" Tony was about to speak when Bruce interrupted him.

"Let him in the tower, he's injured, remember."

Bruce looked at the hallway behind them. He really wanted to see what condition Tom was in right now, because the silence was eerie and he really wanted them to get Loki out of the rain. He looked at Tony who was silently fuming, thinking of what to say. Bruce was just glad that Tony wasn't drunk yet, it would be a much worse argument.

"Tony, don't. I know what you're going to say but just think about Lo-"

"Come on Bruce! What?! NO WAY! Not doing it, no!" Tony shook his head and glared dangerously.

"Tony!"

"MAN OF IRON!"

"Mr. Stark-"

"Are we seriously agreeing to this?" Tony huffed, twirling his finger near his head. "I'm not housing a psychotic Norse deity! No Thor, even if he is your brother! He's the freaking bad guy here! Cuckoo! Did we all forget? He killed people."

"Even if Loki _is_ a bad guy, Stark, we need to help him." Steve sighed. "We were given orders to take him if he's near the vicinity. We're given orders, we have to follow them."

"He's injured- sure- I get that, but he led the guy we tried to find underground earlier, here in the tower! He's putting us all in danger. Not to mention my tower keeps getting wrecked, and half of New York is still recovering."

"Seeing to it that the guy messed with the comms earlier-" Bruce said.

"I'm still pissed about that."

"As I was saying, Tony, that man already knows where we all are, it's pretty obvious given how the tower has your name on it."

"Had." Steve corrected.

"Yes, _had_ your name on it. Now it's been reduced to A. Which is also a given."

"Which stands for Avengers, or whatever." Tony ran a hand to his hair. "So what if it has my name on it? Forget it, what are we going to do now? What about Loki? I'm not taking care of him, he may have you all on the pity trip but still-"

"Tony Stark!" Thor pointed Mjolnir at Tony's face. "I am tired of your mockery!"

Tony stared at Mjolnir indifferently, pushing the object away from his face and crossing his arms. He stared at Thor, just as Thor stared at him. The mortal just didn't know the limits to pissing off a god. Thor growled at Tony as Tony huffed through his nose.

"Are we going to keep staring at each other or what?" Tony narrowed his eyes.

"My brother is outside, I would **not** let this opportunity pass." Thor walked inside the elevator, pushing the button rather harshly. "I would see him safe, no matter what he has done, he is still my brother. _Blood or not._ If you excuse me, I will handle this."

"You're not doing it alone." Steve stopped the door from closing and went inside the elevator. "Dr. Banner, Stark, keep eyes here. Thor and I will be back. You two, behave yourself or I'm calling Agent Barton and Natasha to watch over you."

Before the elevator door closed...

"If you're not back in thirty, I'm calling the cops." Tony rounded jokingly, walking to his lab and preparing the gurney to lay Loki in once they get them back.

Like he had a freaking _choice _on the matter.

Tony walked away from the people standing beside the elevator, he was pissed. He needed a _drink, _yeah that's what he'll do. Go to the lab, drink his ass off and help when he's needed. That was pretty much what they needed him for, now that the threat wasn't all that.

Right now, he'd have to make the best of it and just chill.

_"Freaking gods and their freaking disturbance on earth." _Tony thought as he kicked the nearest furniture. _"Goddamn aliens and their manipulative desires!"_

Bruce and the other two followed to where Tom was at. Bruce asked all kinds of question regarding Tom's condition and how worse he had it. Chris was the one that rounded at Bruce the most, worried about his friend. Rob kept ears and spoke only when he really needed to.

All Bruce accomplished on talking to them was learning that Tom was having _mixed emotions_. He didn't quite know it yet, but it was plausible, it was still a _theory_ but he'd have to see it to believe it. One thing he knew was that, Tom's connection to Loki was stronger than Chris and Rob with their counterparts.

Bruce also figured that perhaps the tesseract was also looming around Tom's energy, which _could _be the _reason _why Tom was so heavily affected just like Loki was. For now, he'd just have to make the best of his assumptions until he sees Tom.

Rob, Chris and Bruce walked inside the the room. Bruce opened it cautiously and quietly and whatever he saw, he didn't like.

Tom was sweating heavily, his breathing labored and he was curled up slightly, clutching the bed sheet like he was hanging on for dear life. Rob stumbled back a little while Chris' eyes widened.

Bruce walked to Tom and checked him. "Tom, are you alright?" All Tom could do was whimper in pain, whatever was affecting Tom, it was happening right now.

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**oOo**

Loki slipped on the wet floor and sat there, leaning on the light post. His illusion disappeared but he was thankful that he at least managed to get what he needed out of the clones mouth. He breathed heavily, he didn't see Tom in there, he was slightly worried that Blake would end up using Tom instead. He wasn't sure but that was still possible.

Loki closed his eyes and felt a pan of relief. _"They will come for me. They will take me away from the rain." _

Just as he thought of those words, a new voice formed. _**"Did you think we would simply let you go Jotun runt?"** _That was _Thanos' _voice.

_"No, It never slipped my mind." _Loki kept his eyes shut, he covered his ears but it sounded inside his mind.

_**"You will obey our command. Else you wish more rewards befitting your actions." **_Loki shifted from the floor, those rewards were only punishments hidden in guise. He hated every fiber of Thanos' being and he simply wanted to rip the Titan apart.

If only he had the strength to fight back.

**_"Turn your gaze to the mortal, my pet." _**Loki's eyes opened and he looked around, only to see at the far end of the corner was Agent Blake. Loki glared as the man had _the Other_ looming behind him, whispering dark thoughts and negative things in the man's head.

Agent Blake stood there, looking, but Loki payed no mind to the man at the corner.

_So he was being manipulated as well. _Only difference was, Blake accepted it whole-heartedly. All while he, Loki, had to be tortured to accept the deals accordingly and desperately. Loki lowered his head, he tried thinking good thoughts, maybe that would help Thanos go away.

_"Thor will come for me, he will take me back with open arms." _Loki chanted it in his head only to be countered by dark thoughts.

_**"Thor doesn't love you, we've established that before."**_ Thanos venomously shouted in his mind causing Loki to wince at the loudness. He could almost see Thanos, walking in front of him, ready to give him his punishment. Loki closed his eyes again, hoping that memory would fade away.

**_"He cares only for the throne and only to please Odin. You mean nothing to him-"_ **

_"Thor cares for me, he loves me, he will never abandon me." _Loki thought back, hoping to sound at least threatening as well. He'd done it many times before, it was the best thing he could do than to break away and crumble in fear.

The voice continued. **_"You are, in his eyes, nothing. No one cares of what you speak of-"_ **

_"Thor cares for my words, he longs for his brother back." _No, he doesn't.

Loki bit his lips, even he has doubts himself.

_**"You said his brother was dead. You told me you buried him inside of your hate and anger."** Thanos laughed. **"**_**_That is all that is left in you. No there is something else. You fear. Fear is strongest in you. I saw it, and still see it."_ **

_"No. I'm not-_ " Loki almost choked at his words. He couldn't keep up this verbal spar anymore.

"He_ doesn't doubt, Thor understands me! He knows I exist for-"_

_**"A peace treaty."** _He could almost see Thanos grin. **_"Keep convincing yourself of lies, trickster. I saw potential in you yet you show me cowardice and foolery! You've been broken many times than you could ever count in your lifetime..."_ **

_"No... no... no!" _

Loki embraced himself even more, and shook violently in the rain. He knew he wasn't _sane_, but he knew he wasn't _insane_ either. He was of **both**. Loki lowered his head onto his knees and clutched his wet frame. He couldn't let Thanos get to him again, he promised himself he would do it his way.

The barrier Loki put up on himself was fading away.

He couldn't even put up his defensive mask of hatred anymore. All he could be now was vulnerable with the lack of magic and the right state of mind. Loki's thoughts were jumbled all together. He was fine this morning but something snapped. He wasn't sure what, but there was something that tore him apart.

Loki waited, eying the building. Nobody came for him, he didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the rain but he knew he wouldn't last any longer anymore. He looked at the corner where Agent Blake was, but he no longer saw the man.

Loki leaned his head on the light post and stared into the darkness of the sky, watching the rain fall onto his face.

_"Thor would not come for me." _Loki let the tears fall from his eyes. _"He spoke of safety yet there was no safety to begin with-"_

He couldn't bare to shoulder the burden any longer.

_"I am dead. His brother is dead. He is lost. He's never coming back!" _Loki silently cried, clutching at his hair and leaving his hand there, his head still lowered on his knees. _"He is dead. He is gone. He is lost."_

_**"Do as you're told, Prince."**_ Thanos whispered in his ear. **_"Freedom you will regain, Power you will obtain and Earth, will be yours for the taking."_ **

"Thor." Loki whispered, tears freely falling from his eyes as the rain concealed them.

Loki felt the darkness come for him again, hesitantly accepting it. His eyes falling shut. The last thing he saw was two figures looming above him. They were talking but he couldn't understand anymore, feeling numb and colder than before, he embraced the _darkness_ with open arms.

The last thing he heard was the laugh of the mad Titan echoing in his ears.

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**oOo  
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**TBC...**

**This chapter won't let me write it! I just kept getting stuck and stuck in the beginning! Argh! I am so terribly sorry, but I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This was a challenge to write! Seriously, it just won't let me type it!**

**AND ARGH! My feels! ALL MY FEELS! This chapter is so sad! Or whatever you guys feel! This chapter just wrote itself! It took me a while but.. finally!  
**

To all everyone that followed, alerted, fave and reviewed, thank you so much for the lovely support. I love you guys for supporting this story! Thank you! Please visit **"Voices of Eternity"** if you have time! :D

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**oOo**

**Answering some questions!  
**

**MrsChrisEvans -** Hi! Um... you don't need to worry, I plan on having the other actors in the story as well. So they could interact, but trust me, there will be interactions.

**Cristinia -** You're asking if there will be pairings in this story. I plan to put pairings on possible sequels after this. But it depends on you readers who you think the pairings will be. There will be interactions, moments and stuffs, but it depends on you guys to see if it'll progress. :3

**HarryLee94 - **I hope this gave you a little insight on what happens next. Tehee, next chapter will be up soon!

**HalfAsleepWriter - **Does this satisfy whump needs? xDD hehehe...*gives you cookies* You gave me an awesome point of view in this chapter...


	10. Chapter 10 - Everyone is connected

**Terribly sorry for the long wait, feel free to kill me. _HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!_  
**

**OH**, new writing style**, I don't know if you see a difference in my writing style but I think there is.. please tell me what you think. Be gentle with me? Please.  
**

**Oh... please visit:** _Voices of Eternity_ **if you have time. :D Thank you!****  
**

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**oOo  
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While Steve and Thor were outside taking care of Loki, Bruce, Rob and Chris were headed towards the room Tom was at. Tony, he was preparing things at the lab for when Loki's brought in. They wouldn't want any more mishaps going on. Now that the situation has become more dire than they think suited.

Natasha and Barton, they were still at SHIELD.

As they walked the hallways, Bruce can't help but tense up, feeling his heart beat and his breathing. There was something off, a gut feeling or whatever you call it.

He asks.

"Is there something I should know about?" Bruce kept his eye in front, letting the others follow.

"Not much that we haven't already said." Rob walked side by side with Chris.

Rob _thinks_ back to what Tom said before, inside the room.

_"I feel normal, I feel fine. Just tired and a little worried for Loki but otherwise, I'm doing okay. Please, just... don't ask me again... I feel tired enough, answering." _

Bruce knew there was something up, secrets were secrets but they hold a truth and the right information. He waited, knowing that at least on of them would start talking. Even just a bit of information regarding Tom would be enough to assess the situation.

"He did say he was tired." Rob added.

"I'll see what I can do when I check him." Bruce said. "You must want to get back to your families. It must be hard, getting separated from them."

"It is."

"I couldn't imagine Tony having children though but you made it possible when you came here. The idea of it, it also seems to get Tony on edge. The thought of caring-"

"Scares him?" Rob smiled, he knows Tony enough, he's lived it. "It feels good to be loved. I know my family is safe, that's what matters. I'm just thinking of the _now _and how Tom is doing. He _needs_ the attention."

"And you?" Bruce turns to Chris.

"I'm not only worried about my family but worried about Tom too." Chris muttered. "He isn't one to get sick and just plop down. He's a man to take action on every turn no matter how sick he's gotten. Can't help but worry a lot."

"Let's find out then."

Bruce opened the door to where Tom was at and he saw Tom sweating and breathing heavily. He quickly walked up to the bed and sat there, checking up on Tom. Taking out a small flashlight from his pocket and opening Tom's eyes a little.

Rob stood staring while Chris sat worriedly watching.

Tom's condition was unknown to them and they were just glad that Bruce is a doctor. Not really that kind of doctor but he still knew more than they do. Confusing as it may be, they just let whatever flowed freely and accepted it without much thought.

Bruce checked on Tom's temperature and the fever he had seemed to be going down on it's own. He asked for a small towel and a bowl of water to help bring the fever down a little and Rob offered to do it, quickly rushing to the bathroom to acquire the materials.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine tomorrow." Bruce said, checking Tom's arm and legs. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the normal fever."

"What caused it?" Rob asked. "He was fine earlier and he wasn't exposed to anything."

"Do you think it's that connection thing Thor keeps talking about?" Chris supplied.

"It could be the tesseract that's affecting him." Bruce muttered. "I better ask Tony. Jarvis?"

_Yes Sir? Is there something you acquire?_

"Patch me up to Tony, voice audio is fine, no need for visual. I'll be down there later anyway." Bruce said.

Jarvis complied.

After a few moments they hear a voice, it was Tony's. _"-His body could shut down and stuff like that if we don't treat him soon."_

And they hear the stressed tone of Thor's voice cracking. _"I understand."_

* * *

**oOo**

He was the perfect victim, the one that no one seems to trust no matter how much truth he gives. There were just so many false pretenses that it's becoming hard to _grasp_ the reality of it. It was a silent victory, a silent honor that only he knew and hoping some would understand.

There were _missing pieces _that needed to be recovered.

Loki was taken inside by Thor and Steve, gently was Thor holding his brother. He was soaking wet and was freezing. The collar did a number on his neck, which had red stains washed by the rain and had bruises on it as well. They didn't get much of a say in on the matter as the silence filled the air.

Loki curled beneath Thor's touch and nuzzled himself at Thor's chest hoping to get some warmth.

The cold seemed to bother Loki and in turn, it bothered Thor as well. He carried Loki inside, placing him on the gurney and he was pushed to the lab where Tony was. Ready to do some scanning. He could see worry in Tony's eyes too but the man was stubborn not to show it.

But there was _fear_ in his eyes.

Loki moaned in pain, stirring slightly from the slumber as Thor gently caressed his cheeks and fiddle with his hair.

"Rest brother, you are safe."

Meanwhile, Bruce was checking up on Tom while Rob and Chris stayed close so it left Tony to do the check up on the other end.

Loki, still wet and dripping, lay there on the gurney inside the lab with Thor looming at his side, holding his hands. While Steve and Tony leaned on the counter. Tony had done a scan on Loki's body and it covered many injuries and he felt sick to his stomach, Loki wasn't healing fast enough as Thor said he should.

Tears brimmed down on Thor's eyes, seeing the _state _that Loki was in.

Steve walked towards Loki and draped a towel over him, hoping that once they were through, Loki could get out of those clothes and into dry ones. He wasn't keen on letting Loki have _Hypothermia_. A sudden intensity swelled up in his chest, he just had to ask.

"Thor, will Loki be alright in these clothes?"

"What do you mean, Captain?"

"It's just Steve. You see when you get cold and wet, you acquire Hypothermia. It's common with us soldiers, I've dealt with it during cold rainy seasons and such- you don't understand, do you?"

Thor looked confused as ever.

Tony wanted to roll his eyes but it was bad enough seeing Loki and Thor like this, so he resisted the urge, instead answering for Steve.

"Hypothermia is an earthly disease, having low body temperature could lead to serious shit. It's dangerous if we don't get your brother dried up. His body could shut down and stuff like that if we don't treat him soon."

"I understand."

Thor stood up, lifting Loki to sit up and Steve wrapping the towel around Loki's shoulder. Thor lay Loki down again and his brother, despite the check-up Tony had done, his brother was still in a messy state.

It's safe to say that Thor isn't happy at all.

He was upset.

"Do you want help, changing his clothes?"

Thor shook his head replying, "No I will do it."

Thor muttered that he would be the one to change Loki's clothes. They were brother's after all, there was no shame in it. Steve and Tony had no choice but to agree. They don't want to quarrel with an upset god. It would do them _no favors_ at all.

Tony eyed the scans, knowing something was wrong. Loki's body temperature was seriously below anything he's ever seen before.

And Tony remembers what Loki said before.

_"He is right." Loki glanced at Thor. "If you wish to know then I will be honest. I do not like to be related to the Jotuns. I hate the form that I change into when I touch something very cold. I also **hate** them for reasons of giving me up during my birth. Other reasons, I'd like to keep for myself."_

"My brother never had problems with the cold before." Thor began, snapping Tony out of his daze. "His _kind _are immune to the cold."

"Care to explain point break?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm curious why your brother here, is freezing on the inside. You mentioned Jotuns, the Frost Giants, what the hell is it?."

"I have told you my brother is adopted and he is not Asgardian. He is a Frost Giant. Tis not fair for him to be branded as such but that is the truth. Though my brother comes from another realm, he still grew to the ways of the Aesir and I will only think of him as my brother."

"That's where the whole story lines up." Steve eyed Tony.

Tony brought a hand to his chin.

"It must be the way the tesseract is affecting him, probably leading him to become human, or something. The more magic it takes the more vulnerable he is. It's like taking the _force _out of him and all Jedi mind stuff except it's magic."

"Magic is part of my brother, it is like taking away your breath from your body." Thor gripped Loki's hand.

Loki remained unmoving from his spot. Eyes would squint and his his whole body trembling from the cold from time to time but he didn't move so much as an inch from where he lay.

Moments Later, Loki would mutter stuff in a language only _Thor _could understand. Tony and Steve could see that the words clearly upset Thor even more.

Whatever it is, it wasn't good.

Loki continued to mutter things, occasionally scream something and cry something as if he was in pain. Even with the difference in language, they could get the hint. It was like Loki was begging and his features contained _Fear._

_Only Fear._

"What do you think happened to him? Out there when he escaped." Thor frowned deeply, not wanting to hear more.

"It must have been that guy that's been following Loki around." Steve regretted answering.

"I will kill that man for harming my brother."

"For now, Thor, we could just guess numerous possibilities. We don't know because JARVIS' system was down. Dr. Banner said so earlier."

"Yeah. There's not much to say anyway." Tony huffed. "I mean, we can't get a testimony out of the guy when he's unconscious. Until Loki wakes up, we just have to assume the right possibilities. And until Natasha and Barton come back with any given information, we just have to wait."

"The tesseract, as you said earlier." Thor looked into Loki's closed eyes. "You said it is affecting my brother. By how much exactly?"

Tony stared at Thor who kept staring at Loki as if he were to disappear soon. Tony wanted no part of this as much as Steve and Thor did but there wasn't much of a choice. Life was full of mysteries and a mystery, he loves to uncover. Tony sighed, hoping he'd give Thor a right answer, because he wasn't sure either.

"Assuming it gave him a seizure earlier. It's worse than it looks."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"Imagine the tesseract ripping off part of yourself for the first time. There's _pain, _I'll give you that much info. But imagine it ripping through you the second time but with more _umph! _Can you see where I'm going here?"

"Are you saying that it will gradually become more unbearable?!" Thor said in shock.

"It's just an assumption. I wasn't able to test the goddamn thing that long to be able to get a justified answer. For now, we stick to what we got big guy."

"The collar? Will it affect Loki even more?" Thor frowned. "If the tesseract is opened yet again, it will drain my brother dry and the collar would prevent healing. It will harm him. Can we not take the collar off?"

"I'm sorry Thor." Steve patted Thor on the back. "Director Fury's orders. We'll stop this before something else happens."

_"You should have me look into those injuries later."_

Before Thor could speak he was interrupted by the sound of Bruce's voice inside the lab. It made them all jump, the silence forever stayed there until Bruce spoke again. _"Sorry, I forgot to mention I was listening. He didn't acquire Hypothermia yet, did he?"_

"We're not sure Dr. Banner." Steve replied, still a little shocked. "Loki's freezing cold and we're still theorizing, things."

"How's it going Bruce?" Tony took a sip of scotch he just poured. "And, Loki's fine. Injuries aside, his bloody bruised neck and cold-feverish composure whatever, he's been better."

_"I could ask you the same thing." _Bruce said from the comms. _"Tom's fine on this side, nothing from his body triggered this sudden fever, that's for sure. Whatever is affecting Loki, it's affecting Tom in a bad way." _

"They are connected." Thor spoke. "Their minds are somewhat linked, no matter how far you separate them, there will always be a tie. That's what the tesseract did, I suspect. Legend has it, as I've told you all before."

_"Legends can still matter, we'll look into it later. Did you get Loki out of his wet clothes?"_

"Not yet Dr. Banner." Steve said, awkwardly at the ceiling. "Thor will handle it."

_"Yes, I **heard**. I asked Jarvis to give me some voice audio from the lab. I heard everything from the Hypothermia. Barton and Natasha need to get the information fast so that we could catch this guy before he opens **another** portal. Tony and I don't have anymore ideas to come up with."  
_

"So true." Tony drank. "We're doing the best we can to send them back."

_"There are just many obstacles and complications." _On the other end there were shuffling sounds and Bruce whispering. _"Just keep him from moving too much, Tom won't have problems."_

"You alright there, Bruce? There's no visuals here either so, what's Tom's status?"

_"Yeah, yeah. Just fine. There's not much to say with Tom, he's just exhausted but he'll be fine tomorrow. I'm done with my check-up with him so I'll be heading down there. Will you two be alright here?" _Bruce questioned.

_"We'll get some rest too." _Rob said through the comms in a hush tone.

_"We'll watch over Tom." _Chris muttered. _"Loki needs your expertise more."_

_"I'm heading down there guys. Tony, think you can give Loki some sedatives to dull the pain?"  
_

"Sure thing Brucie." Tony said, picking up a syringe and a bottle somewhere in the drawer of the lab.

More shuffling sounds and then the audio was cut, leaving the others in the lab hanging until Jarvis informed Tony of the events happening.

"Jarvis? What's the stat on everybody and the tower?"

_Sir, Dr. Banner is headed down to the labs. Tom seems to be stable as well as Loki despite the injuries. Sir. Rob and Chris are now resting and the tower is safely secure, though the weather will be a bit more stormy in the next few days. No hope for a sunny day for a while yet, Sir.  
_

"Thanks for the warning Jarvis." Tony muttered and turned to Thor. "This is just a drug to null some of the pain down, keeps your brother calm and sleepy until Bruce comes."

Tony inserted the syringe in Loki's arm and the effects seem to work.

"Thank you." Thor whispered.

"Don't thank me yet. I haven't done much. You should get your brother out of those clothes, Steve and I will step out for a while, leave you two alone. The clothes are right there on the table."

"Thank you Stark, Captain." Thor nods turning his back to them.

Tony left and so did Steve, leaving Thor to his thoughts, his brother and the clothes on the table.

* * *

**oOo**

Was there some way to earn forgiveness?

There wasn't an easy way through this, it was just painful for him and for the others. To think it was better off if he died right then and there when he let go of the staff and just _faded_ into existence when he fell. That wasn't the case, fate made things much harder to grasp.

He could feel his whole body burning in pain and some parts circled by numbness, but the numbness was slowly circling him and he felt comfortable.

The pain was bearable now, he didn't know why.

He wanted to wake up, get rid of all the pain and just confess to Thor but his fear for Thanos was greater and he didn't want to be handed down again to the Titan, so his secrets remained.

What was he to tell when he wakes?

The truth, hidden with lies.

That was good.

Better than nothing, at least.

The darkness swallows him up again but before it does he hears Thor's voice lingering at the back of his head. He knew he was safe, because Thor was there, Thor said so.

_"Rest Brother, you are safe."_

* * *

**oOo **

The next few days went better than expected for some but as the days passed the team was drifting apart, or at least, that's what they think is what's happening. Tom woke the next morning after he had a fever, feeling grateful for the help he was given.

He was slightly distant with Rob and Chris and he just wanted time alone and he seemed to be thinking more of Loki than before. Unsure why, he kept it hidden. His frustrations kept and his smile and happy self masked for them to see.

Rob was slowly accepting the fact they won't come back so soon to their own world and Chris was just happy that Tom was okay and it was good enough for him. The three of them spent time either exploring the tower or watching something on the news or just eating and baking or whatever.

Just like home, but home is never the same as the real thing.

Tony had a lot more press conference stashed up about the Avengers, his Iron Man suit, the damage it costs to repair the city, the deaths, the whereabouts of the Avengers. All of that, in his hands. SHIELD decided to stay out of the way and let Tony handle the press. After all, it was his _style _to deal with those kinds of things and Pepper was just grateful that Tony was alive and kicking. But nothings been the same since New York. Things are messed up more than before and Tony is just as good as hiding things just as Loki is at masking things.

Tony was miserable and he felt horrible with the things that's been happening. He immersed himself in work more than spending time with Pepper and the rest of the Avengers.

Not that anyone can blame him for it.

Steve was more drawn to a simple life. Jogging ever morning in disguise, saving a few small things. Walking, exploring, cooking, reading and stuff but he missed the past. He spent time in SHIELD, digging up information with Natasha and Barton but still, no such luck.

The files they were looking for were burned clean from the server and other files listed and kept in SHIELD, so they had to dig it up the hard way with paper works neatly stacked in a storage room where they go about checking everything and every little detail.

It works.

Bruce had never felt more alive than ever. He played in the labs with chemicals available to him thanks to Tony, he made himself feel comfortable with these people that housed him knowing he had a killing machine inside him, he was _also_ grateful for it.

Bruce had begun regular check-ups with Tom to see if something was happening or if something was progressing or not but all was fine. Nothing strange or nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He checks up on Loki from time to time as well when Thor allows it but that's pretty much what he does. Not much action has been happening lately and he thinks it's probably best if he just left for a while and deal with this elsewhere, help other people than staying here playing chemistry sets.

Natasha was deep in thought worried for everyone but mostly her partner Barton, who was working on finding information. Natasha never showed emotion unless she had to and she was well versed in her job more than anyone but she hated the fact that this one person got under their noses and steals the tesseract.

As if Loki being the bad guy was enough.

This guy adds up to the mix.

She clearly blames SHIELD but she didn't have the voice to say it, not wanting to add up more chaos and confusion where it shouldn't be. And there goes Barton, the one who Loki managed to play with. Barton's been doing well for being mind controlled.

He's keeping his emotions in tact and not getting rational with his judgement. He hates Loki with a passion and he won't easily forget what Loki did to him but Barton wasn't stupid, he knew when to act and where to put the emotions, he also didn't want to get involved.

To him, his job meant the world.

It was a balance of things.

Then, there goes Thor. The god of Thunder, the mighty Thor, the one who tops the whole Avengers off besides the Hulk of course. Thor was more depressed than ever, to think that he was about ready to come home with Loki beside him...

No.

It was a fantastic lie.

He couldn't bring back Loki, not yet at least. The tesseract was gone and most of the hope he had left was gone. It would take time for him to come back and he needed to come back with Loki _and_ the tesseract or he can't come back at all.

Thor's upset more than ever and to add up the weather wasn't so happy either but it wasn't Thor's fault, it was simply nature taking a turn for the worst. Thor fears though that he won't get his brother back, after all, it's been a few days already and still, Loki was yet to awaken.

Loki lay there, asleep in Thor's room.

He was moved right after he had a change of clothes and Bruce checked up on him. Thor eagerly and gently carried Loki to his room. Caring for him day in and day out, at least, when Loki gets better. The same routine seems to happen to them for the passing **two weeks.**

**Tony,**would go to a press conference, work on the suit, file paper work, and find information about the tesseract. Complain about Loki and everyone else who tries to even bother him or see if he's alright.**  
**

**Steve,** would jog, find information, cook, work out, find information about the man, work for SHIELD or do community service for the hell of it.

**Bruce, **with his experiments, the tesseract readings, check-ups on Loki and Tom, working with Tony and mostly just work.

**Natasha and Barton, **would be working on a mission involving SHIELD, or simply looking for the man that got away. They would visit time to time, checking on how things were going, informing Fury and such but so far, no such luck.

**Thor,** would take care of Loki. Listening to him mutter in his sleep. Scream in fear. Break a fever once or twice. He would help in some instances with the humans, but so far, he stayed with Loki. A question lingering in his mind. _What happened to you?_

The whole _conclusion _on how it's going, isn't turning out well as they'd hope.

_**Friends**, _drift apart at one point in life but they never knew that they would drift so far from just the beginning. Life is unfair and the people were messed up more than they thought.

As they live their lives, the whole truth of it, they still don't know.

A question lingers though...

_What of Thanos?_

* * *

**oOo **

Two weeks have passed of utter silence and avoidance in the tower. But now that those two weeks have passed, Loki finally wakes. He rubs his eyes and looks around, his body feels incredibly stiff and he finds himself on a bed, a very comfortable one, despite the heaviness he feels.

Loki turns, he could see blonde hair and his eyes adjust.

_"Thor?"_ Loki's eyes widened. _"Where am I? How did I-"_

He looked around the place, this was probably Thor's room in the tower. Stark must have allowed Thor to say a while longer.

_"So you did hear me." _Loki felt a pang of relief hit him and his eyes swelled up with tears. _"You came to get me. You should have left me there in the rain."_

Loki lay his head back on the pillow, feeling a bit exhausted.

The reality took him so soon. Thor brought his downfall to him, and it was Loki. Loki would soon Betray the Avengers as Thanos said. He would bring them all to their deaths and Loki doesn't know what to do.

His mission... _gain their trust. Lead them to believe. See their downfall at Thanos' hand. Give Thanos the tesseract. Give him power. The Gauntlet._

If he doesn't fulfill these...

If there was a failure to comply...

He would meet _pain_...

**_So innocent. _**

_They didn't know what Thanos and the Chitauri did to him in the past year. He was too innocent to know, his heart was pure, saddened and broken but pure.  
_

_Then he was corrupted.  
_

**_So easy to break.  
_**

_When they broke him, he shattered. Gave up hope and let them have their way with him. Teach him things and he obeyed. They did things to him that he never knew they could do. Like the pet he was to Thanos. His mind, not caring anymore.  
_

_He broke under his touch.  
_

**_So useful yet so worthless.  
_**

_So useful, he had many talents and he could do many things but worthless was he when he wouldn't obey. Worthless was he when he betrayed or disobeyed. He was worthless to them, his life meant nothing. Thanos only used him. _

_He was a tool.  
_

Loki let the tears fall, why was he so stupid to let Thanos break him, to let Thanos rule over him. He should have let Thanos kill him than let this happen. He _involved _Thor in this mess, _involved_ the Humans,_ involved _everyone else in his petty desire to live.

Life was everything.

He had a choice but his choice was selfish.

He wanted to live.

Then Agent Blake happens to arrive. He's the cause of all this suffering as well. The words leaked through his lips like poison did inside a humans veins.

_"The Hulk... he snapped you out. Oh, you wish revenge don't you? They caused you pain. They caused you suffering... everything they do... they do to hurt you. We know how broken you are trickster... there is no use hiding it." _

The man's voice changing into Thanos'.

**_"The chains that hold you are bounded no longer... run... that you may take what was ours."_**

Loki brought himself up on his elbows, trying to stand up and saw that Thor was slightly stirring. He was lying on the bed next to Loki, dark bags under Thor's eyes and Loki knew that Thor had been staying up late as much as he could to care for Loki and it only saddened Loki's heart even more.

"You're a fool." Loki muttered as he fiddled with Thor's hair, whispering ever so softly.

"A sentimental fool. But I love you nonetheless."

* * *

**oOo **

Bruce and Tony were at the lab, experimenting on ways to bring Tom, Rob and Chris home. When Jarvis suddenly pipes up causing Bruce and Tony to look at each other.

_Sir. It appears Loki is awake._

"Well, no shit." Tony said, exhausted and dried of emotions.

"Tony, we should contact the others." Bruce said, dropping the test tubes in place and staring at Tony.

"Jarvis, does Loki know? No, wait, show us a live video feed from Thor's room."

Inside the lab coming from the ceiling a small flat screen TV eased it's way down and showed the feeds to Tony and Bruce. Loki sat there playing with Thor's hair, staring at him. Loki had his knees up to his chest, the other hand hugging his knees, the other fiddling with Thor's hair.

Thor was sleeping, soundly and Loki, deep in thought, still continued to fiddle with Thor's hair.

"I don't think he knows." Bruce said. "Maybe he's just thankful that Thor saved him."

"From the rain? I doubt it." Tony muttered. "There's something else he's running from and It's not just the guy that wants his magic, it's something bigger."

"What made you think that?"

"You know from experience, Bruce." Tony tapped his arc reactor. "This baby didn't just come along, I know torture when I see one. Loki's banged up alright, I've been giving it a lot of thought the past two weeks. Ever wondered why nothings been happening yet?"

"They're planning something."

"Yes!" Tony pointed. "We're resting, they're quiet. It's like a little game. Strike when you least expect it. I don't think Loki will be giving us much answers. He'd downright refuse it."

"Are we going to let the others know?" Bruce questioned.

"Jarvis is programmed to do that. Assuming he already phoned Natasha, knowing her, she broke it to Barton and Fury already. Knowing, goody two shoes captain, he's in SHIELD and the news would have already be broken to him. I just don't want them crashing my tower just for some info that they can't get."

"Are you going to let them know that Loki's not up for some interrogation yet?"

"Jarvis." Tony went back to eying the screen, looking at Loki. _Were those tears? _He shakes his head.

_Yes, Sir?_

"Call Fury, tell him that if he so much as steps in my tower without permission demanding answers from our resident god of mischief, I'm going to whoop his ass till tomorrow. Tell him I'm being serious and I'm not up for this kind of shit today. Loki's not up for some questions."

_Director Fury states that if Loki is to awake- _

"Don't make me dismantle you piece by piece Jarvis. I created you, not Fury."

Jarvis doesn't make a sound again.

"Tony?" Bruce said worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright, you don't seem yourself?"

"This has always been myself Bruce. Accept the reality of it." Tony said blankly. "Things are just messed up right now and I'm having a hard time balancing things."

"If it's about the press conferences and the media-"

"It's not just that."

"What is it about then? I know part of it is with the stress you're receiving because of the media-"

"They want a good story, they have it. Everything is just different now, I'm worried about Pep, my company is booming for attention. The media is up in my nose all the time. There's just no privacy no matter what I do. I'm famous than all the avengers combined."

Bruce laughed, it seemed to lighten the mood.

"Will this change things then? You seem to be growing a liking to Loki."

"Haven't you already?" Tony countered. "The more I look into this guys life, the more I see myself in him."

"You want to help him." Bruce looked at the screen, Loki was still sitting there next to Thor, as if they were children.

Loki was the frightened one, waking up and seeing his brother asleep. Not wanting to bother the peaceful slumber he sits and waits till the other one wakes up. Like children do. Because it makes him feel comfortable just as much as when the other is awake.

For the first time, they see a _genuine smile_ from Loki.

Though it faded easily.

Tony turned off the screen, letting the TV slide back into the ceiling, he turns to Bruce who was staring at him, holding a breaker tong.

"Like I said, I see myself in him... in this weird awesome way." Tony smiles. "After two weeks, I think I've decided to actually give the guy a chance."

"That's very..." Bruce thinks of the word. "Noble of you."

"Call me crazy." Tony laughs. "But if he throws me out of another window, I'm hauling his ass back to Asgard or whatever."

"Suit yourself Tony."

Tony shakes his head, Bruce had become a friend and a really good one. Not like Rhodey or Pepper. Bruce was just, Bruce. That's the Tony Stark logic, by the way. Tony sighed and spoke.

"Jarvis, inform our resident god of his, current situation. Make sure to do it gently, and... don't wake Thor up!"

* * *

**oOo **

Loki stared at Thor for a few moments, afraid of betraying him yet again. How much could Thor's heart take? All the betrayal, the lies and the hurt. What was Thor's limit?

Loki sighs, he's still slightly tired and he's still feeling a bit stiff but he didn't want to go back to sleep. Sleep would bring him nightmares. He stands up gently, his back aching. He moved across the room to the bathroom.

Thor's room was pretty big. Loki knew Stark was rich but this was just ridiculous. The room was with an amazing view of the whole city, looking at the giant glass window, he could see it all there. The city he tried to subjugate. It was a pretty bad reminder.

There was a giant bed where he and Thor fit into. There were lamps, chairs, a TV, maybe to entertain Thor? There were decorations, sets of clothes inside the closet, some were his... maybe someone bought him clothes? He didn't know.

He took a set of clothes, a green long sleeved shirt and tight black pants. He went to the bathroom and closed the door behind him, but he didn't lock it, knowing that if he did, it might worry Thor.

He took his shirt off and worriedly looked at the mirror, touching the scars on his chest and the bruises that were still purple. It was painful but the pain was now bearable.

How would he explain all of this to Thor and the others?

Surely they must have seen?

This wasn't the _Hulk's _doing. It was something else and they knew it. They were just probably waiting for answers now. Loki kept his hands on the scars until he heard a voice whispering to him, it was Jarvis. Thank goodness. This time Jarvis' voice was lower, more of a whisper.

_Mr. Stark told me to inform you that you are currently not allowed to leave the room. You are to be interrogated but not soon as Mr. Stark had it hold off. _

"Hold off?" Loki whispered.

_Yes. Sir. He said that you are not yet ready to be interrogated. For now, feel free to rest._

Loki bit his lips and closed his eyes. _"Thank you."_ He thought, not wanting to voice it out. What made him curious is that, he escaped, but why wasn't he in a jail cell?

Why were they being kind to him?

Thor was outnumbered by their decision, so why?

Loki let it slide, he went to the tub and dipped himself in the warm water. It felt so relaxing, his eyes dipping closed. His thoughts again swaying everywhere, thinking of everything but now, he let them flow. Not even thinking, just glad he was still alive.

But it was a _curse._

Stark knew he was awake, why hold off the interrogation anyway? He was broken, tired and weak at the moment... they could do anything to him but why did they do nothing at all?

Loki traced the collar on his neck, he saw the bruises on it when he stared in the mirror. Some of it was healing, but the rest wasn't. They were helping him heal.

"Mortals." Loki bit his lips and admitted. "I would never understand."

He continued to clean himself, to rub off the dirt and the mistakes. To rub clean the troubles, the burden, the thoughts... the pain... the hurt. He just wanted to _wash_ it all away.

To be rid of the memories that _plagued_ his mind.

In the tub, Loki brought his knees to his chest and buried his head in it. Letting the water from his hair drip, covering his face.

He hears the door _creek._

Loki turns his head gently to the side, his body embracing his knees still.

He met Thor's eyes.

"Brother?" Thor whispered, hands at the door.

Loki continued to stare, he had no words to say, he sat there in the tub filled with water, knees together and embraced by his arms, staring into Thor, his tired eyes looking for something.

"Loki?" The worry in Thor's voice never left.

"Thor..." Loki whispered, barely audible, but Thor heard it.

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...  
**

**OMG! I FINALLY WROTE THIS CHAPTER LIKE A BOSS! MWHAHAHAa! I feel so good inside now. Oh, thank you so much for making me feel better. That felt so GOOD!  
**

**This chapter spilled out of my head so fast, it just painted itself! XD  
**

**Please tell me what you think... I will update soon so... thank you everyone! Please review if you have time!  
**


	11. Chapter 11 - Manipulation,Lies and Truth

**If I may be honest, English is not my first language or mother tongue, gah whatever...umm... and I'm sorry about the grammars thing, I never really check to see if it's right. If it spills in my head, I just type it down instantly... **

**Once I'm finished, I'll try and correct it if I can.  
**

**Oh and More Tom! **You got it...

**I updated again soon to apologize for the long wait and because I really want to get this out of my head while I have free time... so... Thank you to everyone that read, reviewed, liked, favorite, alerted and bookmarked.**

**Not yet proof read!  
**

* * *

**oOo **

Tom stood on Tony's balcony, looking over the city. He hadn't been himself since two weeks ago. He kept hearing voices, mainly from _Thanos_ and from _Loki_. He didn't want anyone to know and it was a bad decision on his part but he knew it would only cause problems if he told.

Remembering two weeks ago like it was yesterday. Tom woke the day after he got sick and immediately apologized to everyone for the worry he caused and he continued to be as curious as he was before.

_"What happened?" He pressed._

_"You got sick, that's all." Rob said raising an eyebrow. "We're just glad you're up on your toes again."  
_

_"I'm sorry about all of this."  
_

_"Forget it." Chris said. "It's not your fault. Besides, you're awake and that's what matters."  
_

_"You hungry?" Rob asked enthusiastically.  
_

_"A little." Tom smiled this time.  
_

Of course, the main reaction, was shaking it off. None of it mattered as long as a person was safe, as long as they were happy and stable.

But behind all that, was a mystery.

Tom was left to rest after eating. The rest of the Avengers were busy and they were left at the tower, the only information he got was that Thor was in his level of the building and that he shouldn't be disturbed. If it was an emergency, that was the only time they were allowed to bother Thor.

Tom asked a lot of question, in which Rob and Chris happily answered.

They told Tom that they were moved to a separate floor where they had rooms of their own. Fresh set of clothes for them to wear and to make them feel comfortable. The room was to their hearts content, thanks to Tony Stark.

He was told that he going to be alright, that the Avengers would find some sort of solution or cure for whatever is affecting him.

The tesseract... they assured that it would be found soon.

There wasn't a _cure _though.

Tom knew that.

It wasn't a _disease _but he smiled nonetheless to assure everyone he was okay.

He stopped asking though.

Soon after the silence, as they headed back to their rooms, they stopped through the hallway. Rob and Chris told him that Loki was brought in and was sleeping and was with Thor. Tom was just glad that Loki finally came back. That he was okay, for some reason.

Tom was glad, he admitted but deep inside, he wanted to question Loki. He wanted Loki to get better, of course, but he also wanted the truth.

He thought that perhaps he could confront Loki about the _voices_ once he wakes up.

The voices telling him to _**"Give up. Surrender. Listen."** _Voices telling him to _**"Wake up. Look up. Listen. H**__**ere. There."**_ Voices in his dreams. _**"Challenge. Breathe. Listen. See."** _

It was becoming difficult for him to ignore it.

Each passing day it's getting louder.

He wish Loki wakes up to answer his questions.

Sad part is, that Loki didn't wake up the day after he was taken inside, or the day after that, _or_ the day after that. But Tom waited, despite the little lack of hope he was feeling, he remained passive about it.

Loki slept, resting, _healing_.

It takes time and he understands that Loki needs the rest.

So Tom waited for the right time.

But he feared that if _it_ progressed even more, or if he kept it longer, something bad would happen. As he waited, during his sleep, his _slumber,_ he saw memories that weren't his.

Memories of Loki.

At first it was just a coincidence he only thought of it was mere dreams.

He dreamt of walking the palace of Asgard. Traversing through the meadows and sauntering through the library with delight running up and down his chest. He could feel the grin spreading from his lips and the cold breeze he felt running past the meadows and the garden.

He runs to the meadow and is being chased by a small blonde boy who had smiles reaching up to his ear. The view changed, he felt smaller and his voice, a little high pitched.

_"Brother, I will catch you!"_ The blonde boy ran to tackle him and he ran as well.

He felt a giggle rise up his throat. _"Catch me if you can, Brother!"_

It was harmless, more innocent the first time but as the _dreams_ went on day by day, it no longer remained as innocent as he thought.

Soon the dreams went from innocent to sheer terror.

One dream, or nightmare, caused him to violently choke in the middle of the night. He managed to calm down, and finally hearing the 'almost' concerned voice of Jarvis.

_Sir. Do you want me to inform the others of your situation?_

_"No." Tom tried to steady his breathing again. "I'll be fine, no need to bring the others into this."  
_

Tom was just glad he was alone in the room.

He feared it would get worse.

The _nightmares_, as he called it.

He remembers dreaming of _running_ away from the giant monster in Jotunheim, with it's heavy sharp claws and giant teeth, eyes bleeding red.

He remembers being _chained_ and _whipped_, the pain he could still feel, waking up from it.

The voice of Thanos, _bleeding_ it's way into his ears, making his body shiver in response.

The others voice when he speaks of delivering pain and suffering to him if he didn't obey.

He could feel the growling of his stomach and the _need_ to taste food and water.

The feeling of being _vulnerable_ to anything.

He felt _betrayed_.

_Hurt_.

_Agony._

_Longing._

_**Desperation.**_

And at one point, Tom thought that it wasn't just a dream or a nightmare. He came to a realization that it was Loki's memories seeping it's way into his mind. The possibility of Loki, reaching out to him, to understand him because who better to understand Loki himself other than his counterpart.

What use would he be to Loki?

He didn't know _how_ to start helping.

Tom breathed the air on the balcony and tried to feel calm. Two weeks of hard sleeping, antagonizing voices tempting to reach into his mind, painful memories that weren't his, resurfacing at unwanted time.

It was becoming a hindrance.

He needed answers.

"Tom, are you alright?" A voice from behind said.

Tom snapped from his thoughts and turned his head slightly, not moving from his spot he notices Chris walking up to him with a glass of water. He gladly accepts and leans on the railing of the balcony and sips.

"You seem deep in thought." Chris muttered.

"I'll be fine, I'm more worried about Loki in this case." Tom bit his lips. "When do you think he'll wake up? I've never really known anyone could sleep that long."

"Odin sleeps longer."

Tom chuckled, that seemed to lighten the mood but Chris was yet to answer his question. _Silence again._ Tom fiddled with his glass, he always had something to say and it was becoming obvious that he wasn't being himself.

"He'll be fine." He hears Chris say.

"Do you think we'll ever get back to our own timeline? It's been two weeks and we are grateful that the Avengers are doing all they can to help us, but is it really worth it? I mean, we should be telling them about Thanos."

"Will that really help? We're not in the position to say."

"Why not, Chris?" Tom gestured with the glass.

"What do you mean why?"

"If you think on it, we'll be doing them a favor. If we tell them now about him, maybe they could have a fighting chance."

"They'll win for sure, that's how the story goes." Chris stared into the city.

"It's still worth a shot."

"We don't know what will happen, Tom."

"A lot of things could happen. We've talked about it before on the set. If we tell them now, it would be good for them and us, right?"

"If you think about it, if we tell them about _him,_ what then? We don't know _how_ to stop Thanos. There's only a small portion we know about the guy and that's just from the script we had and the last part of the movie we saw."

"I can't stand here knowing this." Tom frowns. "And Loki-"

"Loki knows more than we do, if Loki does end up telling them, everything would be fine. You and I always thought that Loki would receive his redemption. In this time or world, it's a different redemption that what we know."

"It's different because we ended up in the picture."

"Exactly." Chris smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. "No use to get yourself worked up about it. If you need to tell me anything, I'm here for you."

Tom stays silent, staring at the glass he was holding.

He hears the _voice_ in the back of his head.

**_"Tell him, tell him, get him involved. Listen. Let your heart out."_**

"Tom?" Tom raised his head to Chris.

_**"Concern." **_

"Tom, if you need to say anything, anything at all-"

**_"Coward! You fear! You FEAR IT!"  
_**

"Yeah, sure, I'll keep that in mind." Tom smiles, masking his pain inside.

_**"Coward-"**_The voice echoes.

Chris nods and turns to Rob who was opening the TV and sitting on the couch, motioning for them to join in. He had popcorn on a bowl in his hands and was waving at them. Chris walked away, looking back at Tom for a moment before joining Rob on the couch.

Tom stayed a little while longer, leaning his elbows on the railing and looking at Rob and Chris watch a movie.

He _ignored_ the voice in his head.

He didn't want them to be _involved_.

He didn't want them to get _hurt_.

Once Loki wakes up, he'll ask. For now, he let's the voice linger in his head. _**"Speak your heart out. Can't keep it. Not for long. Speak. Let it out. Voice it out."**_The voice in his head keeps saying.

Tom ignores it.

Tom walks away from the balcony, shoving and burying the stress and thoughts deep down.

"Hey, save me some popcorn!" Tom walks over to them, smiling and plops down to watch the movie with them. He forgets, even if just for a while, he wants to forget he hears.

* * *

**oOo **

In the dark abyss of the universe, Thanos sat on his throne. His grin reaching up to his ear and his breathing slightly labored, masking his laughter with his hand.

The _other_ stood at his feet, watching, listening.

Thanos enjoys misery, he enjoys every bit of chaos the world could lend and achieving Loki as his price when he fell off the Bifrost was a blessing to him. There stood power, inside Loki but he would not speak of it, he would not show his interest. He vowed to break the god before him, to show him what real power is.

He vowed to _use_ Loki for his selfish reasons and have his victory to himself and only himself.

He was feared by many, why not add more fear, so they would not step up to him. He is a _Mad_ _ Titan _after all. It was in his nature, it was fate that made him what he was.

He had no regrets.

He would seek this through to the end.

"My Lord." He hisses. "What do you intend to do to the mortal?"

_**"Which one?"**_ Thanos laughs, his deep dark voice echoing the caverns of space. _**"There are but two, mortals that I am interested in... and a shell of a god he once was."**_

"Why _feed_ him lies?" The other curiously asked, hissing every word. "What _good_ does it entail for our future victory, sire?"

_**"The mortal that wishes power, I shall give him none but he is our key to success."**_**  
**

"A key so great, but what of his desire to conquer, what of his desire to achieve power. Would that _not _be a hindrance to _our_ plan."

_**"He plans something great, to reach a different world, but MY plan is**_** greater."**

The other listens.

_**"I want the mortal to think he has power, but I will use him. He will bring me the tesseract along with my pet. I favor none who take what is**_**_ mine_."**

"How long will it take, my Lord?" He hisses again, this time, he paces. "What good to leave our victory with a mortal who so much desires power that he cannot obtain."

_**"Because this mortal, thinks not but uses action. I merely wish to corrode his very soul, ruin him, make him believe and let him suffer in his pain. To be**_** used."**

"What off the _counterpart_? What _use_ do you have for him?"

Thanos stands, walks forwards and looks at the stars. The other cowers. Beneath the shadowy despair of a wasteland Thanos has, there were chitauri's moving about, odd looking space whales, his machinery, his army, they lurk the darkness.

Thanos laughs but does not turn.

The other watches, _curiously_.

_**"You ask too many questions. The counterpart is merely another tool, he is a distraction. The world cannot survive without chaos and with chaos, the world cannot survive either. It is but a game, well played. I have use for**_** _him."_**

"Do you require aid?"

_**"No-"**_

"Shall I visit this counterpart or shall I resume on filling _lies_ with the other mortal?"

_**"Resume where you lie with the mortal."**_Thanos inhales. _**"I wish to handle the counterpart."**_**  
**

"A plan, you have set for him?"

_**"I would s****ee him break just like my pet... see him squirm beneath my touch. He has already showed me fear from** listening** to my voice.**** If he so entertains me as the god of mischief does, I might take him to be with us as well. Who knows what use he has?"**_

"A brilliant strategy, my Lord." The other turns. "Spin lies, make them _listen_, make them _squirm_. I ask only this, my Lord Thanos... what if the trickster does not comply or succeed to what you plan out?"

_**"Then he will die by my hands, slowly and painfully."**_Thanos clenched his fists. _**"Leave my sight Other!"**_

The other disappears, off to do his task.

Thanos watches his army recover, prepare for another war, do what it is that none could, to court death. _**"You will be pleased, my queen..."**_He whispers.

_**"The trickster will betray his brother, his enemies and will be used by the mortal. The counterpart, remains a distraction, to be used and neglected, to be brought pain and suffering just as the trickster. My pet, be drained and powerless, to open a portal, he and the tesseract will be**_**_ mine and so shall the counterpart if I am pleased_-"**

Thanos laughs, imagining the frail god squirm in pain, begging, crying and wishing death. He also imagines the counterpart of the trickster, lying there, chained, silent and fear in his eyes.

How glorious a victory that would be.

If he so acquires the tesseract, he would have passage among the other realms and take what was his.

Power.

The Gauntlet stashed in Odin's vault.

Death, would be _his._

Thanos looks at his hands and another chuckle escapes from his throat, his lips form into a thin line and he stares above to where the stars shimmer and glisten.

_** "I crush the mortals dreams and let death reign upon Midgard, slowly and painfully, will I succeed in bringing down the realm of the mortals. Only time will tell of this victory..."**_

* * *

**oOo  
**

Natasha frowned upon hearing Jarvis' voice through the comm that she had on her ear. She was the one that Stark trusted even by a little, to hear and know what happens. When she heard Jarvis speak out to her, telling her that Loki was awake, her heart skipped a beat.

She may not admit that there was fear but knew in herself that there was.

Natasha asked Jarvis to repeat ever single thing Stark had told him to do and warned Jarvis that if so ever endangers anyone by not telling, she would put more viruses in Jarvis than Stark could imagine and so, the computer complies.

_"Jarvis is programmed to do that. Assuming he already phoned Natasha, knowing her, she broke it to Barton and Fury already. Knowing, goody two shoes captain, he's in SHIELD and the news would have already be broken to him. I just don't want them crashing my tower just for some info that they can't get." _

Natasha snorts and shakes her head. "Typical Stark."

_"Call Fury, tell him that if he so much as steps in my tower without permission demanding answers from our resident god of mischief, I'm going to whoop his ass till tomorrow. Tell him I'm being serious and I'm not up for this kind of shit today. Loki's not up for some questions."_

Natasha knows that Jarvis never called Fury.

He wasn't programmed to be a tattletale.

It was kind of a joke on Tony's part.

_Director Fury states that if Loki was to awake- _

Did Fury know?

Natasha frowned as she listened to the comm she had, it was safe since Stark made it. Natasha got an eye of concern coming from her partner, Barton, who was sitting next to her looking at some files.

It was in Jarvis' protocol or something. Fury must have bugged it before to threaten or shake Tony up.

Natasha wouldn't dare tell Fury.

Not if there's a good reason to hide it.

"You alright Tasha?" Clint kept his eyes on the screen.

"What makes you think I'm not?" She countered.

"It's the look that your giving. It's like you're going to murder someone." Clint shakes his head.

"It's a normal look."

"I know that look anywhere, like a guiltiness spread with thought, planning and action driving, like the feeling of adrenaline and stuff like that. You can't hide it from me. What's concerning you?"

"You tend to get weird at times, do you know that?" Natasha sighs as she scoots over to Clint.

Their arms touch and Natasha leans forward and Clint stops what he's doing but his eyes kept to the screen. He hears Natasha whispering to his ear.

"Remember two weeks ago, when Stark contacted us that they found Loki?"

"What about it?" Clint pretends to fiddle with the screen, not sure if someone was watching them.

"He's awake."

Clint jumps a little on his seat and he turns to Natasha, who had a blank look on her face but since their partnership started long ago, Clint knew that look had concern written all over it.

Natasha continued as she stood up to put the other papers away. "Stark doesn't want Director Fury to find out yet. _He's_ not ready for an interrogation."

"The hell he's not." Clint mutters as he stands up. "What else did he say?"

"Jarvis only contacted me a while ago, telling me he's awake. Apparently as decided, Stark doesn't want anyone else hearing the convo..."

"Typical of Stark to do that. He could have given me the heads up."

"He probably didn't bother, Clint." Natasha walks and Barton follows. "He knows that I would have told you first."

"Whatever. What else did he say? Does SHIELD know we have him in custody and he's at the tower?"

"NO. SHIELD doesn't know. Stark wants _them_ out of this for a little while longer. We've kept our bargain of secrets for over two weeks since he came. I'm not about to let this chance go. SHIELD or not, I'm sticking to what we planned."

"Our plan was to keep SHIELD occupied with something else, lead them to believe Loki was still out at large and to interrogate him when he wakes up."

Clint whispers as he walks side by side with Natasha as they head for the loading bay. He talks to Natasha, this time a bit more normal.

"That was our plan, I guess, but since you insist, we're going to hold it off for a little while longer, besides, I don't want to get involved with dealing with Thor's _act of kindness_."

"No one does, Barton."

Clint sighed as they look at the quinjet and ask, "Our mission today?"

"Director Fury wanted us to check up on the guys at the tower. Make sure everything's alright."

"Here we go again with the lies." Clint places the seat belt on and straps himself good. He was the pilot, Natasha was the target shooter, as if there was something to shoot. "How long do you think we can keep this up?"

"For as long as we can."

"Two weeks. TWO WEEKS and this is how it ends up."

"Quit complaining or I'm shoving you out the jet."

"The Bastards they all are-"

* * *

**oOo**

"Loki?"

"Thor?"

Loki looks up, he felt warmth spread across his cheeks as he sat, curled up in the bath tub looking at Thor. Thor blushes as well, trying to muster an apology from his throat, but he says nothing, instead he slams the door shut before Loki could throw something.

Still shocked by Thor, Loki quickly dries himself up and changes.

Thor on the other side, had closed the door and he falls, sliding his back to it. Waiting for his brother, what was he to say to him.

What was he to do?

_Hugging_ him wasn't an option.

Loki would only push away.

_"What words are there to speak about?"_ Thor thinks. _"Can I trust my brother again? I am no fool but am considered one for my love for him." _

Thor waited, trying to think of every possible way to apologize to Loki. To see him safe. To tell him how much he is loved. To tell him that he is being cared for and that nothing would happen but sadly, the attempts in his head could only go so far.

It wasn't even helping.

Loki finished dressing but then again, what was he to do now? Thor's awake, how come he didn't anticipate this happening? Why didn't he think of a plan or think at all that Thor would wake up?

_"Idiot." _He cursed himself.

He stares at the door. _"Now what?"_

Thor's not coming in, not even saying anything and it was putting more stress in Loki than ever before. Thor's not being Thor. He's being the opposite.

_"What is that oaf doing?"_ Loki could only imagine.

Maybe Thor walked away, or maybe he went to get back-up so they could subdue him and lock him up in a cell. Put him in chains and interrogate him, but no, that wasn't right. The voice in the ceiling said that they weren't going to interrogate him and that he was free to rest.

What was it they planned now?

Thor wrapped his hands on his head and buried it on his knees. For the first time in a long time, he was speechless of what to say to Loki.

Just when he looses all hope of ever recovering anything, the door opens from behind and he turns to look, quickly standing.

Loki's face was impassive. "What were you doing on the floor?"

"Waiting." Thor's quick reply showed how anxious he was.

"You're an obnoxious stupid fool of an oaf."

"Loki-"

"Whatever it is you want to say, be done with it." Loki frowned dropping his hand to his side. "Whatever you plan on doing, do it. I tire of us meeting this way."

"I am just glad you are awake, brother."

Loki cringes from the word but doesn't move from his spot, he just stares at Thor. It made Thor a bit uncomfortable but it was worth it, just to see his brother doing well.

"I'm not your brother." Loki venomously strides from the door and walks towards the bed.

"Is this how it will go, Loki?" Thor frowns, clenching his fists.

"How what goes? You walking in while I bathe. Such indecency coming from the future heir to the throne. Odin would be so proud..."

" Enough of your jests Loki. You ask me to help you and you come back here as if nothing had happened. You throw insults for pleasure."

"What do you want me to say?" Loki glared and hissed. "Thank you?"

"I wish for you to show at least some form of kindness, at least show me you are doing well!"

"Now why would I do that."

"Tell me what is wrong so that I may further help you, Loki! _Not This_! I do not want this! I do not like you shunning me away! I am your Brother, I only wish to help!"

"Now you know how I feel."

Thor _understands_.

Years of Loki being his _shadow_.

This was how Loki _felt_ before and now, Loki was simply returning the feeling.

Thor understands.

It's painful.

Loki stands at the edge of the bed, Thor was only a few feet away from him. The tension in the air was thick and the silence was eerie. Sounds of breathing could be heard, mainly Thor's heavy breathing and Loki's sharp intakes of air.

"You called for me." Thor said, starting the conversation again.

"So?" Loki arched an eyebrow. "I needed help, you were the closest."

"It is not just because you had no one to turn to, it is because you know I would help. That _we_ would help."

"Your point, being?"

"You called me _brother, _Loki!"

"It was a slip of the tongue-"

"That was not a slip!" Thor bit his lips. "You looked into my eyes and whispered the word. That was not a slip, Loki."

"It was the illusion, you delude yourself further from the truth. You cannot accept it-"

"No. It is you who cannot accept it Brother. It is you that does not know that there are still people that care for you. You have me, brother or not, I will forever help you. _Blood or not_, I had vowed I would never leave you."

Silence.

Staring.

Thor swallowed.

Waiting.

"Why must you forever do this to me?" Loki asked, not really needing an answer. "I do not care-"

"If you did not care than why are you here?" Thor shouted, Loki was taken back.

"I..." Loki looked lost for words. "I-"

"There is something you are not telling us and there is something _you _wish for us to know! You are ashamed of telling. You fear, which is why-"

"Stop it." Loki whispered, his hand trembling.

"-you are acting this way to shield yourself from the truth. You think I delude myself to such fantasies, to convince myself of my brother. I know you are with me Loki, I know my brother is still in there-"

"Stop." Loki hung his head, biting his lips.

"-he is in there! I know he is! You are afraid of showing-"

"I said STOP IT!" Loki shouted. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!"

Thor stopped, taking a good look at Loki. His brother looked shaken, fear were clearly in his eyes and Thor didn't mean to do that. The words slipped from his tongue and he only wanted to make a point.

Loki was now embracing himself and shaking.

"What did they do to you?" Thor whispered, striding close to Loki and pulling him to an embrace.

Loki didn't know how to react to it.

"You're an idiot."

He wanted to push him away but his body was telling a different story.

"A stupid, utter fool of a brother." Loki buries himself in Thor's chest.

Thor couldn't help but deepen the embrace. For so long have they fought each other... This moment was to good to be true. He felt his brother coming back to him. The one he grew up with.

"I hate you." Loki says weakly but Thor knows that's not true.

He heard Loki, earlier, when he woke.

_"You're a fool."_ _Loki muttered as he fiddled with Thor's hair, whispering ever so softly. "A sentimental fool. But I love you nonetheless." _

He knew Loki didn't mean it.

Loki was troubled and Thor understood.

No matter how much Loki wanted to deceive Thor, he just couldn't. Bad intentions aside, Loki only wanted his brother back and to feel that safety was reassuring. His mind and body felt relief with the sudden embrace.

How he longed for the _embrace._

"I am sorry Loki." Thor spoke up but Loki shunned away.

"No." Loki turned his head from Thor. "I should be sorry. For deceiving all of you. I will tell you what I know, if that is what you want to know."

He would and he would do so, honestly.

Though he would leave the part of _betrayal _aside, for now.

He would do it _his way._

It wasn't a statement, it was a promise.

"Loki you don't have to do that." Thor looked at Loki but Loki's expression pleaded otherwise. "I would not force you do so-"

"You are not forcing me, it is _my _choice." Loki was confident in this. "You will let me have this moment."

"Still, it would be better if-"

"No... you and every one of your friends deserve an explanation."

* * *

**oOo **

**TBC...**

**Again, that felt good to write... XD I love you guys so much, you and all of your reviews and stuff. I want to hug you all right now.  
**

**Is it too much to ask if I were to say, please leave a review and tell me what you think?  
**

**Reviews fill my inspiration and makes me write faster~ XD please?! You can have a Loki cookie!  
**


	12. Chapter 12 - Uncertainty

**Hi, another chapter best served hot! Umm.. is anyone still reading this fic?! **

**LOL... anyways, I just love writing Loki and Thor. Their relationship with each other is complicated yet pretty awesome in a way. Big brother and younger brother. There's always this misunderstanding on Loki's part and he just doesn't get it but there's reasons why he doesn't understand... it's because of all the pain he's been through. It's confusing. xD Oh no, I ramble too much! :D On with the story!  
**

* * *

**oOo  
**

Loki was trying and making the biggest effort he can. He wanted to spill his guts out then and there and just tell Thor everything he's been through but he himself, didn't want to repeat the same story again.

Once was enough and the whole terror of telling it would be the hardest thing to do.

He was never keen on being the _center of attention_, or he just wasn't used to it. Besides, Loki knows well enough that Thor's friends deserve an explanation, they deserve more but he knew full well that it was enough for him to offer.

So Loki says...

"No... you and every one of your friends deserve an explanation."

Thor looked at Loki like he was crazy but he knew well enough that when Loki gives that look, it means that there was no turning back.

His brother has made up his mind.

"Very well," Thor agrees. "But first you must do what I say."

Loki's face fell.

"Pardon?"

Loki gave him the most questionable look he could offer and slowly, Thor's spirit was rising up. It had been so long since he had a decent conversation with Loki and only grief, sorrow and pain had separated him from it.

Thor grinned and a sudden feeling swelled up in Loki's chest, he did not like where this was going. Thor's grin only made it worse, it was either embarrassing or just not good at all.

"Come brother, you must dine upon the food they call pop-tarts. It is most delicious!"

"I am not hungry." He felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"You have not eaten in two weeks and I only wish to see you in perfect health."

"We are gods, Thor, we survive longer without food or water and I am fine."

"Whether you like it or not. I will drag you to the kitchen for sustenance. It had not only been two weeks, you refuse to eat. Days before that as well. I do not think you have eaten yet and you are skinny!"

"I am not hungry." Loki repeated. "And I am in perfect health."

"You are not. And you will have food or I will force it upon you."

This time Loki did roll his eyes.

"I would like to see you try and you sound like _Mother_."

Thor stopped himself then and there from showing any more emotion or happiness. Loki was bickering with him like they were children. It was often that they did this and oh, how he misses it. And an added bonus that Loki mentioned Frigga... if only she was hearing it now...

"I am in perfect health and I am not skinny." He hears Loki say. "It is either you are blind or not as perceptive as you once were."

"Your scars and how thin you are prove otherwise." Thor frowned.

Loki stays silent, unsure of what to say.

This day was not going according to what he thought. Thor was making him speechless and never has he been speechless in thousands of years, let alone with Thor's work of words. Something is terribly wrong with him and he is just afraid, afraid of Thanos and what he might do to him.

"Do not think that I didn't see."

"See what?" Loki tried his best to pretend, knowing it will never work.

"I was the one that changed your clothes and Dr. Banner has been tending your wounds. The scars and bruises are still fresh, we do not know what is keeping it that way. Two weeks should have healed you."

"Magic-" He whispers.

"That is what I thought at first, though there are many other theories to it. But you must eat first before we-"

"I am not hungry, Thor." Loki refused to eat.

Thor stopped answering, knowing it was all Loki's game to make him angry. Just when Loki thought his plan had worked, his stomach had chosen to grumble. Thor's grin went wider and Loki's face flushed, this...

...this was _embarrassing. _

Just when he thought it won't be anymore humiliating, it had done so when the speaker from the room voiced Tony Stark's undying and ever youthful voice.

_"Hey Reindeer Games, head up to the top floor with your brother. Eat something, god knows how long you've been sleeping without food or water."_

_"Tony, you'll wake Thor up!"_ Bruce's voice echoed in the background. _  
_

_"All the better then. I'm hungry, so if you're thunder god is still catching Z's, wake him up. I have no time for this." _

And the voice diminished into a cackling noise of static and into nothing.

They were both looking at the ceiling now and then turned to each other. Both of them not understanding what Tony said but they made the assumption that it had to do with sleeping, which was close enough, correct.

"You heard the Metal Man, Loki." Thor smiles. "We eat."

If Loki was going to make this plan work, he should at least have some decency and kindness shown, unless, he wanted to be treated horribly, which he didn't want to. So Loki used every ounce of his strength and mind power to make it work.

To actually make an effort in this.

He wanted it to stop.

The whole, I hate you brother thing, has gotten old.

And he grows tired of it and wishes peace.

How terribly did he _miss_ Thor, but still, he wouldn't admit it loud enough.

He was given a choice to change things, follow Thanos' command and betray Thor, or simply spend time with Thor and enjoy it, who knows, he might just switch sides. It's how unpredictable he is that what makes him Loki.

"Brother?" Thor asks and Loki raises his head.

Thor, waiting for Loki to retaliate and say _I'm not your brother _and would walk away.

Though, surprisingly, Loki stayed and kept his mouth shut.

"Eat something." Thor grabs Loki's hand and Loki made no attempt to push him. "Come, I know you are hungry. You do this often when we were children. You refuse to eat at times like this."

"Do not." He huffed.

Thor drags Loki along to the elevator which Thor happily pressed the button and they went up. Loki stood behind Thor, unsure of what would happen to him if he stayed far. He was sure that one of the Avengers or at least half of them would attack him for doing what he did.

Loki was sure Clint would try.

If not Clint, the Widow...

"What nerves you, Loki?" Thor asks.

"Not brother?" Loki keeps his eyes on the floor, quick to answer.

Thor stays silent.

"Here I thought I wouldn't hear the end of you calling me that."

Not that Loki would admit it (again) so loudly but he feels safer when Thor calls him that. It makes him feel at home or at least, what's left of home. Home was with Thor. It may not be in Asgard but still, to him, it was Thor that made his home safer.

The ever so big brother that he was, only made Loki's heart _wrench_ and _ache_ further.

This was awkward in a sense and he didn't know how to address it. He'd been sleeping for two weeks and now, this was the day he would get to voice out his opinions and speak of free will.

Of course, He didn't like it.

Not one bit.

"I know how much that is a touchy subject for the both of us, until we both have learned to accept, I am willing to put space."

Thor, ever so _noble, and thoughtful._

"Now what nerves you?"

"You must think it ridiculous I would ask for your help when I am clearly not welcomed here."

"We've figured such matters were not at all your fault."

"What makes you think that?" Loki whispers and uncomfortably shifts inside the elevator.

"The man that was following you around, the Widow and Hawkeye are still searching." Thor says. "Worry not, I will not let that man touch you. Until we hear whatever you have to say, we make no moves as of yet. I am just glad you are safe."

"It is not that easy." Loki mumbles.

"What is easy in this life?" Thor shakes his head. "Everything is a challenge. Nothing is easy. We've known that for thousands of years.""

"And you would take me as if I had done nothing."

"Why not?"

"This City is in shambles because of me and the chitauri. Your people have every reason to hate me and kill me when they see. Why would you think otherwise that it is alright for me to stay, without even thinking twice?"

"Because you are my brother and my duty is to you." Thor says honestly.

"That's what makes you an _idiotic_ fool."

"It just means that I care. If I will forever be bound a fool in your eyes, so be it, but I will not stop."

"Why do you still care, after all I've done to you and this realm?"

Loki wasn't sure why he was asking all these questions but the questions just seem to pour out of his lips. He wanted to make sure, he wanted to feel sure, he wanted to feel safe. He wanted that old life he had before, but much better.

More an _equal_ to Thor.

"You know as well as I do, what the answer is, Loki."

And so Loki stays silent, understanding what Thor meant. He noticed that Thor, too, was feeling slightly uncomfortable talking about this but Loki felt a great deal of burden be lifted up, even if slightly. He was grateful for it.

The elevator door opened and Thor stepped out, holding the elevator door open. Loki hadn't realized and just stood there, fiddling with the end of his shirt.

When Loki walked out, Thor moved out of the way and headed straight to the kitchen. While walking, Thor and Loki noticed the three counterparts sitting on one couch watching the Television screen. They were watching some kind of movie, unknown to both Thor and Loki but they know that the three were enjoying it.

They were eating this _thing _called popcorn.

_"Midgardian's are so strange." _Loki eyes them as he follows Thor.

Thor was greeted by Chris and Rob, soon following Tom but Tom didn't manage to say a word. Loki soon noticed that it was because Tom was staring at him.

Of all people.

Tom stared and Loki couldn't help but stare back.

* * *

**oOo  
**

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose as he held his glasses on the other hand. Tony was sure different yet exactly as what the tabloids say about him.

He was incredibly driven.

Bruce had to hand it to Tony, the man was wild but he didn't think Tony was this crazy. First Tony had decided to let Loki have his moment with Thor and they were both unsure of what they were doing. So Tony asked Jarvis what Loki was up to and Jarvis had simply replied that Loki had gone into the bathroom to clean up.

Bruce said it was fine, two weeks of Loki being bedridden.

The man had rights to bathe, but Tony, didn't take it seriously. Only scoffed at the idea of Loki being _bed ridden_ a whole different term that Bruce shook his head at.

Mature or not, this was Tony and he was making fun of things as usual.

To an extent, Tony managed to fix the suit up with major modifications and Bruce played with experiments all much as Tony wants to keep doing it, he easily gets bored and so, he asks Jarvis to contact Natasha and Barton and check out their location.

_Sir. Agent Barton and Agent Romanov are flying towards Washington Dc. _

"Washington DC?" Bruce raises his head from the paper he was reading. "That's four hours from here, what are they doing there?"

"Didn't Cap say he was on a mission but he didn't tell us where?" Tony pointed a soldering iron at Bruce.

"I thought you said he was in SHIELD."

"Okay, maybe I was a bit wrong. Jarvis, mind patching me up to them?"

After a few seconds, Tony and Bruce hears a voice and a very unhappy one. Tony was about to laugh his ass off, it was too early in the morning to be doing this but hey, why not.

"How's my little birdy doing?" Tony mocked and Bruce can't help but shake his head.

_"Screw you, Stark!" _

"I miss you too, darling."

_"If you're not planning on saying anything Stark, you might as well leave the comms." _Natasha sounded irritated. _"Is there something you want?" _

"What's your ETA from DC?" Tony fiddled with the suit a bit almost opening the repulsors.

_"Two hours top." _Clint mutters. _"We're picking Captain America up and headed your way."_

"Yeah, sure... whatever." Tony huffs. "We'll see you when we see you."

_"Wait, what's sleeping beauty doing?" _

"Come now Legolas, I didn't think you cared. He's in Thor's room, probably finished bathing or braiding Thor's hair. I don't know. Brotherly stuff. Now, be a nice birdy and fly the jet safely or little spider might eat you."

_"Very funny, Stark. Talk to me like that and I'm shoving my arrows up your ass." _

"Kinky."

Before Tony could say anything more, Barton shuts the comms down and Tony laughed loudly this time, holding his stomach. Bruce chuckled a little, trying to maintain his sense of balance in himself.

"Was that necessary?" Bruce asks.

"Funny things are necessary, only I can do that."

"Or you're the only one brave to do that."

"Exactly." Tony smiled.

They did a great deal in their work but since they've been up for quite a while and it's basically 7 in the morning, when Tony wanted some grub... he's going to have it. Tony's stomach growled and he sighed, dropping whatever he was doing and glancing slightly towards Bruce and then slowly turning to the ceiling just for fun.

"Jarvis, patch me up to Loki."

_Sir. I believe you will be interrupting-_

"Don't you dare Jarvis." Tony rolled his eyes. "I don't care if they're hugging each other or crying their eyes out and being all brotherly loving-"

"Tony I think you should listen to your A.I." Bruce says. "We shouldn't be bothering them. You know what Loki's reaction would be."

"And he'll be shocked." Tony huffed.

"Tony."

"Look Bruce, I don't really care what's going on in Loki's head. All I want is to have some food in the kitchen and I'm going back in the lab after that. And you, my good fellow, will be joining me. It's harmless eating, if you want I can make you an omelet!"

"No thanks." Bruce says. "But I warned you."

"It'll be fine, what's the worse that could happen."

"You waking Thor up? Just lower your voice."

"Will do, Green beans." Tony laughs, swinging the screw driver around.

_Sir, I have already patched you through. _

Silence... there was just a heavy silence and breathing. Tony was about to laugh his ass off, trying to make out a picture in his head. Probably Loki braiding Thor's hair or something. Nah, that was just for entertainment. Then Tony decides, _screw it_, I'm asking the guy to come eat.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

He raises his voice.

What harm could it do?

"Hey Reindeer Games, head up to the top floor with your brother. Eat something, god knows how long you've been sleeping without food or water."

"Tony, you'll wake Thor up!" Bruce lightly smacks his shoulder with a wrench.

"All the better then." Tony rubs his shoulder slightly pretending to be offended. "I'm hungry, so if your thunder god is still catching Z's, wake him up. I have no time for this."

He hangs up.

"Look at what you've done." Bruce mockingly tells him and turns away.

"I am a genius and all genius plans, work." Tony walks to follow Bruce out of the lab.

"What do you think is his initial reaction before this all goes to hell?"

"It's just food. The worse Loki could do is start a _food fight. _That's harmless. I would imagine him shocked." Tony shrugs. "Like I care what his reaction is."

"Only moments ago, you-"

"Ah ah!" Tony motions his fingers to his mouth, zipping it.

"No mentioning it, to anyone. I only said that because I wanted it _out_ of my chest. I am not going soft with my freaking old age. I'm not old either! Everyone still wants this body of _perfection._"

"I didn't say you were." Bruce chuckled, pressing the elevator button and headed up.

* * *

**oOo  
**

"That bastard." Clint frowned as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Calm down Clint. You know Stark loves to tease people." Natasha said.

"Just because my codename is Hawkeye doesn't mean I'm an actual bird. He's going all Bird jokes on me and if he does that in front of me, I will not hesitate to shove an arrow up his ass. That's a promise."

"And I know you will do it. Now what's the lock on Cap?"

"He's in DC, that's for sure."

"Lock on his phone and narrow the results."

"Will do."

While Clint and Natasha were headed to New York to see the other guys, they try and lock in Steve's location. They haven't heard from him for a while. SHIELD had Rogers stationed up in Washington DC to try and investigate a crime that might lead them to the main enemy.

Natasha quickly contacts Steve.

_"Um.. hello?" _

"Is he breathing loudly or is it just the comm?" Clint asks and was shut up by Natasha.

"Where are you Cap? We're headed your direction. We'll be flying on one of the rooftops. Quinjet's easy to see."

_"Uh, yeah... sure copy that. Just, don't stop the engine... okay?"_

"Sure thing Cap." Clint says and they hung up. "What did he mean by that?"

"Must be trouble." Natasha mutters. "Go, I'll see Cap when he runs."

"How would you know he'd run?"

"Ever try chasing a jet before?"

"Point taken." Clint nudges the Quinjets controls and flies it low.

"See him. Land there."

Sadly as Clint lands the Quinjet on one of the roofs in DC, Steve pops in and quickly gets on board and tells him to fly. Clint follows instructions and quickly took off, Natasha looked out the window and noticed that nobody was chasing Steve down and so, she looks at him oddly.

Steve sits on one of the seats behind Clint and takes a deep breath, then quickly strapping himself in.

"Don't ask." He says, he looks like a mess.

"Oh trust me, we want to know." Clint insists, a smirk reaching his lips.

"What happened to you?" Natasha questions. "You look like you turned and ran the ground with yourself."

"More like ran into a pig." Clint earned a slap on the shoulder from Nat. "So Cap, how's the investigation going on?"

"Nothing really." Steve breathed. "SHIELD took over last night and hauled the bad guy off. I was planning on heading back to New York with the motorcycle but..."

"Are you serious?" Clint turned to look at him and back to the sky. "That's four hours till you make it to New York. Be glad we got the Quinjet, it'll only take two hours tops or less if we punch in the boosters."

"I left the motor back in DC."

"SHIELD will get later." Natasha punched in a few dials on the panel. "So you ran all the way?"

"I lost my keys to the motor." Clint rolls his eyes. "I must have dropped it when I was chasing the guy last night.

"Clint asks. What's your mission stat, Cap?"

"Wiped clean. The guy's not our target. He's just some guy wanting to get attention a false alarm on SHIELD radar. He wanted fame, acquired some heavy material he could use to gain it and acted out just as he thought he could. Nothing else happened. It was a pretty quick encounter."

"At least it minuses him out." Natasha frowns.

"Yeah, and I'm glad to be going back to Stark Towers. How's _he_... uh.. doing?"

"He's awake." Clint mutters. "We're going with the same plan. Keep our mouths shut."

"And keep the interrogation for a later date." Natasha continued. "Unless he wants to spill, it's fine with me."

"Right and does Stark and the others know this?"

"Cap, I assure you that Jarvis was the one that contacted me. Stark says he doesn't want SHIELD to know, at least not yet, until we're fully prepared that Loki is on our side with this. Second chances and all that."

"You know as well as I do that's bull." Clint frowns as he steers the jet.

"It's an assumption Clint."

"It's still bull to me."

Natasha gets out of her seat and leans on the back of it, crossing her arms and eyed Steve. Steve stared at her and back to Clint then back to Natasha again. He kind of got the message.

"So what now?" He asks.

"We're just here for some checking on SHIELD. Make sure they believe us, unless SHIELD is already hacking into Stark's computer, we're not sure. All our job is for today is get some assessment and all other things we could do to have SHIELD's eyes away from the Tower for a while."

"Yeah. That's pretty much it." Clint sighs.

That's when Steve realizes something. He takes something from the backpack he brought and opens it, revealing a perfectly old folder. There were loads of files inside and pictures to add up to it. He hands it over to Natasha, and she takes it, reading a few things before eying him.

"Where did you get this?"

"You wouldn't believe how I got it."

"Try us." Clint presses the auto-pilot and leans on the back of his seat, copying Natasha.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Cap." Natasha eyed the papers.

"I know."

* * *

**oOo  
**

When Thor entered the room, Rob and Chris were surprised at how quiet Thor could be when he wanted to. Of course, quick on gestures and kind greetings, Rob and Chris managed to give out a good morning. Tom was about to say something when he notices Loki.

_"He's awake!" _Tom looks at Loki, fumbling on what to say.

The movie was paused and therefore, all seemed to have forgotten about it. The tension in the air quickly escalated as Tom and Loki were staring at each other.

And then, they both hear.

_**"And then they meet...****"**_

It sent shivers down Loki and Tom's spine. It was as if the voice was narrating or counting down to something, they weren't sure.

Fear crept through their very bones and veins and the voice felt near, louder, _closer._

_**"Listen... words... fear..."  
**_

Safe to say that they both felt uneasy that time and they didn't know that they both heard it. Only thinking to try and ignore the voice was the best thing they could do in that very situation.

"Oh god! Everyone is here!" Tony's voice sounded from the elevator.

Loki's eyes drifted off to Tony and Bruce, completely forgetting Tom. Loki eased his way behind Thor and grabbed a hand full of fabric and just tugged it for safety.

"Not everyone." Bruce says. "Natasha, Clint and Steve are headed this way. Two hours, I think."

"Is there something wrong?" Chris asks.

"Loki's awake, so they're headed to check." Bruce replies.

"Thor's awake!" Tony shouts. "And so is Reindeer Games, I sure hope you won't break anymore furniture."

Tony eyed Loki and it was making Loki nervous for some reason. Tom caught it just as much as Thor and Bruce did and it wasn't going to end well, they thought. Loki was trying not to look so weak in front of them, he wanted to show them that he still had some power left to fight.

"It was not my intention." Loki whispered, _almost_ feeling the collar dig into his skin.

"Sure it wasn't... like it wasn't your intention to throw me out the window." Tony pushed his luck, earning a death glare from Thor.

"Step away from my Brother, Metal man!" Thor raised Mjolnir.

"Tony didn't mean it Thor." Bruce went in between them with Tony muttering.

"He sounds as if he does." Thor growled, lowering Mjolnir.

"Back to metal man are we?" Tony frowned. "You know, whatever, it's too early in the morning to be dealing with this shit. I'll be in the kitchen."

Tony shrugged and walked past Thor as if nothing happened, and Loki only gripped the fabric of Thor's clothing even harder. Bruce nodded to Rob, Chris and Tom and followed Tony into the kitchen. They could hear shuffling of pans and clanking noises of plates and glasses. Tony was serious about eating.

"Here I thought the morning would be fine." Thor muttered.

"Don't stop me from telling you, I told you so." Loki whispered, still behind him.

"I told you Loki. We _eat_ first."

"They do not like me anywhere near them or any of their possession. What makes you think eating with them would do anything different?"

"It is a start and they would deal with me."

"Idiot." Loki mutters, rolling his eyes. "I fear, this will be the death of me."

"You are exaggerating."

"Tell that to them."

Thor and Loki bickered using a different language so the others wouldn't understand. Of course, everyone heard it but they couldn't understand anything. Rob and Chris watched silently, laughing and was just glad that there was at least a break through between the brothers.

So far, things were looking good.

At least, that's what they thought. Tom was eying them curiously, not that he wasn't happy or anything, he was but the voice was just distracting and spine tingling. It was talking to him, telling him to do things but then it stops and he was glad for it.

Snapping Tom out of his daze again was Tony.

"No _breaking_ my furniture, no matter _how_ angry you are! I am _housing_ you people!" Tony yelled from the kitchen. "And screw you gods for talking in a different language because I can't find a decent comeback."

"Annoying mortal." Loki frowns.

"If anyone wants an Omelet, just say so!" Tony added.

"I don't want _his_ omelet." Chris grinned to Rob who laughed and stood up.

"Maybe I should help them with cooking. I think I know a few good breakfast food that doesn't involve a burnt egg. I'll cook for all of us, if I can do it."

Rob smiled saying "We're glad you're awake, Loki." and walked into the kitchen.

"You midgardians are so strange." Thor shook his head. "Stay here brother, I will check for something to eat."

Loki stopped Thor, whispering a _no _but Thor insisted, letting Loki's hands go to his side and Thor walking into the kitchen. They hear Tony complain about too many people in the kitchen.

So Bruce walks away and goes out to the balcony, possibly to read and wait for food.

Tom kept his eyes on Loki, who stood there where Thor left him. Tom was curious and Loki was acting strange. Only before, Loki had been fighting Thor and now, Loki was more submissive and quiet.

Tom wanted to ask Loki right now, but knowing that god, he wouldn't be open at all.

Besides, Loki looked, frightened.

Just as much as he was.

"Early morning popcorn." He hears Chris say. "I'll be heading to the bathroom for a shower, I'll be back when the food is ready. It's nice to finally see you awake Loki. Hope you're feeling better."

Loki nods.

Chris leaves.

Leaving _Tom_ and _Loki_ in the same room together.

Loki, who didn't want to stay standing, took the opposite of the couch from Tom. Tom tried his hardest to pretend and ignore Loki but the voice in the back of his head was so eager to have him say something. Like it was playing with him.

**_"He's right there."_**

"Are you alright?" Loki manages to say, snapping Tom from his thoughts. "You seem rather dazed and distant."

"It's just nothing."

"I convince myself that as well but I know a troubled look when I see one." Loki looks at him seriously. "Let alone _my_ look. There is no use to lie to me."

"I'm probably home sick, missing my friends and everyone back home." Tom pretends.

"You are a great actor but not great enough." Loki could see through the scam and Tom stops it.

"It's just good to see you finally awake." Tom messes with the hem of his shirt. "Things are rather dull without you and I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't thinking of you or anything because I was. Things have been rather strange lately... for me."

"You're one of those who are glad to see me awake because I suppose you need something from me." Loki says, deducting the possibilities. "All of you do, it is no use to lie to me. They _all_ want something."

"God of Lies." Tom speaks. "Is it because of what they decided about the interrogation?"

"Did they tell you about it whilst I was asleep?"

Tom nods.

"You all want answers that I am willing to give. This has gone long enough but Thor..." Loki looks at the kitchen. "He says I must first eat and he will then decide if I am to say something."

"Does it bother you?"

Loki raises an eyebrow not sure why the question was asked.

"Does, what, bother me?"

"That Thor is controlling you?" _What the hell did Tom say? _"I... uh... that's not really what I meant..."

_**"That is what you meant... little one... you've been thinking it..."**_The voice breathed down his neck.

Tom closes his eyes and tries to imagine it go away.

"This has something to do with the connection, yes?" Loki asks quickly and silently. "It bothers you."

A little shocked that Loki knows what Tom is going through, Tom tries to ease up a bit and tell Loki what was going on. Not the full of it. Just part of it, he didn't want to stress Loki out. After all, Loki had just woken up and it wouldn't be good to bombard him with questions and answers.

It wasn't nice.

"It does." Tom left it at that.

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...  
**

**Not sure if I liked this chapter or not.. it seems slow to me.. XD I dunno.  
**

**I assume that Rob knows how to cook because that would be so cool and Tony would be incredibly be bothered by it. I am open to suggestions and Ideas still... who knows? haha.. anyways...  
**

**I have to hug these people... **

**Archer83** - for that awesome review. It made my day so much when I read it... and I'm sorry if the Loki cookie tasted bitter, I should have handed out dozens of flavored cookie, for everyone to love. Thank you so much for all the lovely words you've told me... that was nice and I will do my best! XD**  
**

**Anastacianott** - We'll see... mwahaha.. xD I'm so sorry, can't help it, but now that I think about it. You've given me a brilliant idea, even if I don't know how that happened. So thank you!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape** - Thank you for always taking time to review.. it means a lot to me, even just a tiny word... It means so much.

**jaquelinelittle** - Omg, how can I forget that Tom read the comics! Argh.. hmm.. but we're not really sure if it's the right comics where Thanos was in, I'm sure that Tom read a few about the horse, which was his favorite and a few others where Loki saves Asgard. But, thank you for pointing that out, I will probably make adjustments.**  
**

**I hope we reach 200 soon. Please?! Even if just a few words would make my day so happy... I'm making up for lost time, I swear... pwwweeassee... even if it's teensy weeniiee little.. anty.. xD Tell me what you think?**


	13. Chapter 13 - Deep Wounds

**You readers, are AWESOME! Thank you so much, please.. please.. if you have time please read **Voices of Eternity** it's a whole new take on the movie Thor. It won't disappoint, I promise. :)  
**

**I AM ON A ROLL! XD  
**

**Not yet proof read.  
**

* * *

**oOo  
**

After a few minutes, breakfast was ready. They all took a seat on the table in the kitchen. Tony admitted that it was rare for him to eat up here because, this was usually where he would mess around with Pepper. Of course, nobody wanted to hear whatever Tony wanted to say.

The table was long, long enough to fit them all but two, so Tony and Bruce ate at the counter near the small stairs. They wanted some distance after all.

Thor sat beside Loki and in front of Thor sat Chris. Tom faced Loki and Rob got the vacant seat next to Tom.

Rob had to admit that he made a pretty good breakfast and it annoyed Tony a lot. The man makes good eggs, that was something he had to admit but Tony was a genius! So that counts for something.

Rob made bacon and eggs and toasted a few breads for everyone. Bruce and the others thanked Rob and Loki silently did as well but Tony said that he'd rather eat his own omelet.

Thor ate a separate meal of strawberry _pop-tarts._

Which was his favorite.

Loki was given bacon and eggs with a side of pop-tarts and bread, just so he could regain enough strength. Thor continued to pester Loki into eating and that got Loki angry, having Loki shout strange languages at Thor, causing him to shut up.

It was a victory for Loki.

But also _strange_ for him.

So far, Loki's thoughts were curiosity and wonder.

Loki questioned why nobody was asking him yet about what happened when he escaped. He wondered why they let him eat in peace with them on the table. It was strange but rather relaxing.

He could feel himself trembling in fear, knowing that something was wrong and they were only testing him.

But so far, nothing happened.

They all ate in peace and soon, Loki heard Tony and Bruce have a conversation and so did Thor, Chris and Rob. Though one person ate silently just as he did and it was Tom.

The mortal felt different when they first met.

The mortal was fun to be with, understanding, defending, talkative.

Now the mortal was just a mere shell, silent, distant and fearful.

Loki wonders _why_.

Loki kept thinking on all of the possibilities that could happen later on. Natasha, Clint and Steve were headed in less than two hours and it got Loki to fear what they might do. What if SHIELD comes in to take him in for trying to escape? What if they put him in another cell?

So far, the possibilities weren't in his favor at all. Loki felt himself tremble again, but tried to hide it. He was good at that. Besides, he didn't want _them _to see how _weak_ he's become.

_Vulnerable _was more the term he preferred.

They will soon ask their questions and punish him for it. Loki knows that they won't believe anything he will say and that even Thor, wouldn't believe him. He was the trickster, the liesmith, the liar and chaos maker.

He was nothing to them but it was a relief at least, to have them listen.

This was the first that someone would actually listen to what he's going to say, but fate hasn't been to kind to him, they won't believe him and that was it.

His mind was dead set on that theory.

"So, I'd like to know how you're holding up, Reindeer games?" Loki's head snaps up to meet Tony's brown eyes.

"Pardon?"

"He's all manners now? What did that sleep do to you?"

Tony got a smack on the shoulder thanks to Bruce who was staring at him in an annoyed manner. However, Thor's glare was deadlier and that got Tony to stay quiet.

"Stop with the insults Tony." Bruce said. "He means to say, are you alright?"

"Yeah whatever the doctor says." Tony mumbles.

_Eyes were on him._

_He didn't like it.  
_

"I am fine." Loki hangs his head and continues to play with his food.

The bacon half-eaten, the egg popped and scrambled, the pop-tarts forgotten and the bread barely eaten. Safe to say that Loki's appetite isn't good.

"Aren't you hungry?" Bruce asks.

"Not as much as I hoped." Loki whispers.

"You should really eat more, or at least try eating more."

"I _am _trying." Loki keeps to himself. _"It is hard to stomach it... not being used to food for so long."_

"I don't know much about Asgardian structure or how much your body can take but so far, your strength is equivalent to a human."

"Does that mean he doesn't have magic?" Chris asks curiously.

"I thought he does." Rob countered. "He knows and masters magic."

"He still does." Tom says as he took a bite at the bacon. "Right?"

"Yes and No," Bruce shakes his head.

"Care to explain Brucie?" Tony leaned forward.

"He has magic but it's suppressed. Only being drawn when taken by the tesseract or used by Loki himself. The collar prevents the use of magic though. You're probably a bit drained."

Loki's shoulders were slumped and it was pretty obvious, the state Loki was in.

"Loki is healing well." Thor says, not too convincingly.

"We know that Thor, but Tony and I want to make sure. Asgardian people are different from Humans and if a single _sedative_ managed to work on Loki, it means he's close to that of a human or that his strength is lacking it's usual... how do you put it..."

"Umph?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "What? You asked!"

"You guys get the point?" Bruce places his and Tony's plate on the sink.

"He will be fine though, right?" Tom asks curiously. "Despite the lack of magic he will be able to return to perfect health."

"Not so perfect, if that's what you're saying." Tony points. "Those scars won't heal, due to, magic or whatever."

"He will be alright." Thor puts the empty bowl on the sink. "As soon as this matter is dealt with, I am returning the tesseract and Loki back to Asgard so Loki may be checked and taken to the healers."

Loki slumps even further in his seat. They were talking about him as if he weren't even in the room at all and it was rather annoying.

"That isn't a bad idea Thor." Tony beams. "But seriously, how long do you think that will take!"

"I do not know."

"That's my point. Banner's gonna check on Loki later and he's going to ask a few questions regarding his health. I don't want a dying Norse god in my tower."

"I assure you all that I am fine." Loki says, not wanting to be forgotten that he's in the room. "I am _just_ not that hungry."

"I'm still checking you." Bruce says and shifts his eyes to Tom. "And so will you."

"What?" Tom's eyes widened. "I thought I was doing fine."

"Tom isn't sick." Chris wondered. "Why would he need a check-up?"

"Is it because of the connection?" Rob asks. "I thought we've already established that the connection wasn't that harmful."

"It's not as harmful." Bruce says. "But it's worth checking. I want to see what sort of connection Tom and Loki has."

"Why can you not just ask?" Thor questioned.

Loki wanted to roll his eyes, asking about the connection isn't that simple. There has to be some sort of mechanic or something that Loki still can't grasp but he's thinking that the connection has to do with the tesseract and how strong the mind works, at least, that's what he's deducted so far.

"It's not that easy point break." Tony crossed his arms. "People lie."

"Tom doesn't." Chris defended.

The conversation they had went on and on and soon Loki and Tom were forgotten in their seats. They were the only ones still eating and Loki had stopped during the middle of the argument. Tom was keen on finishing the food but his appetite went south when the argument began.

So everyone else was starting to notice his change of behavior.

Tom hated it just as much as Loki did.

They _both _felt trapped.

Like a lab rat.

Loki noticed Tom flinch when Tony said _people lie _and Loki could sense it a mile away. Tom wasn't lying but he was good at avoiding the certain problem and he was hiding something.

When Loki asked Tom what was wrong earlier in the living room, whether it bothered Tom or not, Tom said it did. Once that was said, the whole room went silent and not another word was said. As if they understood then and there and both of them didn't know what to do.

Tom on the other hand, didn't think it was best to say it just yet. He would listen to what Loki had to say first before he would start with himself.

It was more important that himself.

He was sure of that.

The world needed saving from Thanos and the only way to defeat Thanos is for Loki to say something to prove his innocence. Once Loki does, Tom, Chris and Rob would say a few things about what they knew about Thanos.

Secrets can't be kept secrets for long, sooner or later, the Avengers would find out that they were keeping that very _important _secret that might just change the world and save their butts.

Loki rubbed in temples, wanting to have silence and noticed that Tom wanted the same. The argument wasn't really helping and it was only putting a gap between them all. Loki then hears footsteps and raises his head, staring into Ginger hair.

Tom notices as well and turns his head to see a woman standing there, carrying a giant pile of paperwork. Tom immediately notices who it is and frowns, this isn't going to end well.

_"Oh dear." _Tom thought. _"This is not going to end well."_

_"By the nine, let this end in peace." _Loki thinks. _"Lest we need another person for this argument. I rather not wish it."_

She stood there behind the counter where Tony and Bruce sat.

"The connection is still strong enough!" Tony shouts.

"But that still doesn't mean that Tom would lie or anything." Chris protests.

"Why would my brother even lie when we are already at this point of the war?" Thor growls.

"Thor, I think you're exaggerating this again-" Bruce said.

The argument kept going and soon, the woman behind Tony and Bruce was completely frowning. She questioned why they weren't noticing her and it was probably because all of them were to occupied with winning the useless argument. She takes a deep breath and raises her voice.

_"Here it goes." _Loki and Tom braced for impact.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Someone shouted and the room went silent.

"Pepper?" Tony turns and his eyes widen. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to have you sign a few papers and this is what I find?" She says in annoyance. "You and everyone else, talking at the same time is irritating. I thought you were all a team."

"This isn't really the whole Team. Nat, Barton and Steve are-"

"Somewhere in SHIELD. I know. Does it look like I'm blind Tony? God, what is wrong with all of you today? It's too early in the morning for all of you to be fighting like this."

"Look, Pep we were just-"

"No Tony." Pepper raises a finger. "I don't want to hear it."

Pepper walks to the table and slams a giant pile of papers on the table for Tony to sign and she crosses her arms. She looks at everyone in the room, closely and blinking. She then stops at Rob and back to Tony. She continued this for a while until Tony stepped in.

"Pep, if you're going to keep staring, I suggest you take a picture. And you really came at a bad time."

"I'm only staring because he's not the person you described to me a week ago." Pepper bites her lip and turns to Rob. "Tony told me you were the complete opposite of him, worst actually."

"I don't suppose you believe it?" Rob raised an eyebrow and turned to Chris and Tom, who just shrugged it off.

"I find it hard to believe any sense Tony tries to tell me." Pepper smiled at Rob and the others.

"It's alright."

"It's finally nice to meet all of you in person. Umm... My name is Pepper Potts and, Thank you, for lying to me Tony. Opposites? Really? The worst kind? That wasn't nice."

"Opposite as in a bit different from _my _style." Tony tries to grin but Pepper shakes her head.

"I suppose you're here for something then?" Bruce asks.

"All I want is these papers signed and I'm off to Malibu to stay there until all of this is done." Pepper says confidently.

"Can't you just stay for a little bit longer, Pep?" Tony begs. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Loki could clearly deduct things.

This Pepper is Tony's girlfriend. Of course, he understood from the beginning as Tony's name keeps coming from the woman and the way they look at each other and how comfortable they are with each other just gives it away.

But Loki can't help but be curious about this woman. Thor is somewhat curious too but it's a given that Thor's already met her, if not once then twice at least.

"Unlike you Tony, I have a mission to run your company." She pokes Tony's arc reactor.

"But Pep-"

"You on the other hand, need to sign the papers and I will be out of your hair. I don't want to hear any fighting when I leave, if that is too much to ask. Settle your differences. Please."

"We are sorry for the disturbance then Lady Potts." Thor booms. "We got carried away."

"It's fine, Thor, call me Pepper." She smiles and fumbles. "Sorry, If I came in such short notice, but you all know how Stark Industries is. The company and all that."

"It's full of shit." Tony rolls his eyes. "Give me a pen."

Tony starts signing the papers and room felt still and silent with Peppers sudden, weird and confusing appearance. Safe to assume that nobody felt easy and Pepper was getting the message.

She awkwardly laughed and blushed.

"I'm so sorry to disturb any of you." She says feeling slightly guilty. "I feel like I interrupted a really big thing earlier. It's not the first."

"It's alright Pep, nobody's gonna take your eye out." Tony mutters and jokes. "Except Loki."

"Do not speak that way Tony Stark, or I will behead you."

Thor threatens and Loki slaps him on the shoulder, glaring at him. Pepper seems to notice the small brotherly thing going on between the two and the way Loki scolds Thor for being uncivilized.

It almost seems _normal.__  
_

"Tony told me a lot about you guys." Pepper tried to find the right words. "From coming in, so unexpectedly to New York and umm... the dangers that have happened and have added up and Loki, the villain from the news."

"Pep, don't start this, please." Tony says, signing the papers.

"I would have to agree with Tony, Ms. Potts." Bruce says. "Loki isn't in any condition to harm anyone here and I'm sure Tony told you what happened."

"He did but still..." Pepper's gaze turned to Loki. "He threw Tony out of a window and endangered everyone in New York. People have died and I have yet to see for myself if he has changed or not. Tony told me more about this new, threat and what's been happening and I just... find it hard to take in."

"I'm sure the Avengers would be able to handle it." Chris says, unsure if he should've said it or not.

"Just like how the Avengers handled the threat a few weeks ago." Pepper muttered.

"I mean," Chris continued. "They've gone through thick and thin and I'm sure they're battling their differences already and that's working out well."

"Yeah and the animosity is somewhat dying down." Rob manages to say. "I assure you Pepper that everything is fine and safe."

Pepper was taken back by the lack of formality with Rob but she understood that he was still somewhat Tony in a sense. She just keeps eying Loki and Tom. _Oh no, there's two of them. _

Pepper notices that Tom doesn't even bother to talk to her, just the curious, I'm waiting look was given. Loki's stare was also annoying to her and she just couldn't help but stare back. A moment of weakness, she thinks, but she will never show it.

Loki understands.

"If my presence is unnerving to you Lady Potts, I will leave." Loki tries to stand but Thor pushes him back down.

"Stay Loki, nothing will happen."

"I know when I am not wanted." Loki says trying to get out of Thor's grip.

"Nope, it's alright, I'm done with the paper!" Tony says as he hands the paper to Pepper. "Walk with me to the elevator Pep."

"It's nice to meet all of you again." Pepper says and turns to walk away, following Tony.

"That was not kind of you, Thor." Loki frowns. "I was _clearly_ unwanted."

"Even so Loki, Lady Potts has her reasons." Thor said as he lets go of Loki. "When will the others get here?"

"A little while longer. I'm not sure." Bruce looks at Tom, who was sitting there eying the empty plate. Unknown to the world and completely ignoring it. Bruce thinks it's reason enough for the check up.

"I think it's time we do that check-up."

Meanwhile in the living room, Pepper was frowning and tapping her foot as she waited for the elevator. Pepper seemed afraid for Tony's life and Tony understood it well enough. She was only looking after him and the least he could do was understand what she was going through.

"How did you even get in here without me knowing?" Tony asked.

"I told Jarvis not to warn you." Pepper looked at him. "I didn't want to disturb whatever you were doing."

"I am definitely dismantling Jarvis inside and out."

_Sir. I believe I have done nothing wrong as you also gave Ms. Potts clearance and need I remind you Sir. that your threats are rather over used. _

"Fine. Whatever." Tony was frowning too and asked her what was going on in her mind and Pepper unhappily replied.

"I just don't think it's safe for you Tony." She said worriedly. "Are you sure that Loki's really okay and safe to be here? I know he's only woken up from the sleep coma thing, you said, but still!"

"You saw the way he talked to you Pep, isn't that proof enough?" Tony said.

"He was polite and civilized." Pepper thought. "He also wasn't like the person on the news. He's more... saner? And softer. I don't know."

"I told you before," Tony rubbed his temples. "I made a decision that I'm giving him a second chance, just like I had mine. There's _something_ to his story, Pep!"

"_What_ story? That he was a so called _King_ and wanted to _demand_ rights back by trying to subjugate the entire human race?"

"No!" Tony wanted to pull his hair out.

"Stop making me guess Tony. I'm only worried about your safety."

"You know well enough what I'm talking about. Listen, I promise you that everything will work out. Once this whole ordeal is finished, the two of us will be going on a trip alone. Okay? We're spending time locked up in Malibu or anywhere in the world."

"Just, promise me you'll be safe." Pepper pouted. "I don't want seeing you get hurt. And you almost died. Again!"

"That won't happen." Tony looked around. "Again. Look, I'll be more careful. Do you want me to pinky promise?"

"I'll be in Malibu. If anything goes wrong, I want you to call me Tony."

The elevator door opened and Pepper went inside, Tony stopped the door from closing and he eyed Pepper. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He walked forward and gave a quick kiss on the lips. Before the door could close Pepper said. "Promise me." and Tony nodded. He'll see Pepper again soon, once this was finished. Once all of this mess was wiped clean.

When Pepper left, Bruce, Thor, Loki, Rob, Chris and Tom went to the living room to have a seat. Tony shrugged when he was asked about Pepper and they never mentioned her again.

Thor and Loki sat next to each other. Thor clearly giving the message that if anyone touched Loki, they will receive pain.

"Is this really necessary." Tom said frowning. "I think I'm perfectly healthy and there's nothing going on with the connection that I'm not telling you."

_**"Lies!"** _Tom hears. **_"You are just a liar like him! You are no better."_**

"I think it's best we still do it." Bruce insists.

**_"These tests he does won't help. Useless!"_**_  
_

"Of course."

Bruce only did the minor thing with Tom, checked him only once and Tom was finished and soon, Bruce began to check some of Loki's injuries.

"Will this help Loki?" Thor asked. "If he is to be checked as you say, again? Will this truly help?"

"It's just checking. To see what more he needs." Bruce said. "You're too thin."

Loki frowns, clearly not liking where this was going. "I am not thin." He glares.

"Yeah, say that to the mirror." Tony laughs. "We've seen the scars and your body. Doesn't your army feed you or anything?"

Loki was _caught of guard_ as he stopped, staring at Tony.

_"Bad subject."_ Tony thought. "Okay, maybe I hit a spot there."

"I am willing to speak, I am sure Thor has told you that." Loki muttered. "Did you not, Thor?"

"It must have slipped my mind." Thor uncomfortably laughed.

"I suppose you were never planning on telling them that I am willing to speak." Loki frowned. "What mischief are you up to when you know that this is a dire situation?"

"I only want what is best for you."

"A foolish decision." Loki says. "I _am _willing to speak. If you wish to listen."

Tony and Bruce exchanged looks and they simply nodded.

"Let's just wait for the others to get here."

Letting the silence take over and have Bruce continue to check Loki's wounds. Bruce asked Loki to raise his shirt up and the god agreed, his face flushing. He was trying his best to be nice, the Avengers were his only chance after all.

Bruce looks at the wounds.

The bruises and cuts on Loki's neck look like they were freshly made. It was odd, he'll ask that later. The scars on Loki's chest were still there, the bruises were still purple and some parts of his body still have cuts and red skin.

Tom couldn't help but stare at the wounds, it made his insides feel funny.

_**"See. Fear."**_Tom turns away and so does Chris and Rob.

Tony keeps his eye on Loki's wounds, the memories flashing back inside his head. The memory of Afghanistan, the torture, the cage. Tony could feel the water, pushing into his lungs. Tony closes his eyes and turns away, looking out into the window, when Jarvis' voice cut him off of his flashback.

_Sir. There is a Shield jet outside._

"Who could that be?"

* * *

**oOo**

Clint, Natasha and Steve finally reached New York and was ready to land on Stark's so called Starkpad (helipad) when Jarvis' communication went on. Clint blinked at the static forming from the panels of the quinjet. Natasha began to press buttons from the top of the panels and when nothing worked, Steve asked.

"What's going on?" He frowned. "I thought Stark said he wanted to see us."

"That's not exactly what he said." Clint dived the Quinjet down.

Jarvis' voice blared through the speakers of the Quinjet. His voice _almost _sounded threatening.

_Mr. Stark has not given the Quinjet any clearance to land, so I advice you to stay far from the tower unless you wish to wage war upon Mr. Stark, you are free to do so but he will not hesitate to open fire. _

"What?!" Clint yelled. "Damn it, what the hell did he mean no clearance!?"

"Did he change his mind?" Steve wondered.

"Like hell he would change his mind. It's only been _two_ hours!"

"Stark must have programmed Jarvis to take action if any given SHIELD vehicle or device gets within the area." Natasha said. "Maybe Stark is doing it to prevent SHIELD from reaching Loki."

_"I advice that whoever is in that jet, speak now or I will force Jarvis to shoot." _Tony's voice ran through the speakers.

"It's Romanov, Barton and Steve." Natasha said on the comms.

_"Why the hell didn't you say so before?"_ Tony sounded sarcastic. _"You can pass through my castle but beware of the dragon that hides in it." _

"Screw you Stark!" Clint shouts. "Is everything a frickin' game to you?"

_"Maybe? Look, I'm just doing it as a threat. Like hell do I know if you brought the whole SHIELD armada or something!" _

"We're landing." Steve said. "How is it going there?"

_"Not so good." _Bruce spoke. _"Ms. Potts came for a surprise visit."_

_"Yeah and she just almost blew our heads off when we started arguing. Don't worry, Pepper knows but she'll keep her mouth shut for me and for me only. Because I am Tony Stark."_

_"I'm also checking any strange signs on Tom and Loki. So far, none."  
_

"Is that even necessary?" Steve asks as he grabs on to something near as Clint tries to land the Quinjet. "I thought you managed to check it before?"

_"We did but Bruce over here wants to check. Again."  
_

_"It doesn't hurt to check."  
_

_"But it is rather a pain."_ Loki's voice could be heard in the background.

_"That's because you won't hold still. The injuries on your neck are still new." _Bruce says. _"I'm wondering about that."_

_"It is none of your concern."_ Loki seemed tired.

"We've been there last week." Natasha says as she punches in the landing wheels. "The wounds were healing fine. Self-inflicted?"

_"Now why would I harm myself further, Agent Romanov?" _They could almost see Loki roll his eyes.

"Shut up Bastard." Clint tried to concentrate. "The wounds were healing fine last week."

_"They don't seem to be."_ Thor muttered. _"Perhaps it is best you and the others speak when you are here. It is most strange to be speaking at nothing."_

_"Midgardian's."_ They hear Loki whisper to Thor.

_"Aye, Loki."_

"Keep your panties on a bunch then." Clint says as he eases the Quinjet on a landing on the Starkpad.

"We have bad news and good news." Natasha says.

_"Then land your butts in the living room, top floor." _Tony says. _"We'll be waiting."  
_

Clint, Steve and Natasha land and headed into the elevator.

They reached the top floor and got out, to see the others waiting for them. Natasha was holding a file and they all gathered together. Clint frowned when he saw Loki but ignored the god as he plopped down the seat opposite them.

"You spoke of news?" Thor asked as he worriedly glances at Loki, who seemed to be falling asleep.

Thor leaned a little to Loki's side and Loki tiredly rested his head on Thor's shoulder. Thor smiled. Loki didn't seem to be paying attention, probably because they exerted Loki a little. He was still recuperating, he must've used his energy a lot just by walking around.

Everyone else in the room noticed what happened, but they didn't address it.

"The news?" Tony crossed his arms.

Natasha threw the paper on the table for all of them to see. Clint turned away and Steve frowned. Natasha bit her lips and started talking.

"SHIELD was in on this."

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...  
**

**Pepper, sweet sweet pepper. I just had to bring her into this little mess.  
**

**Ohohoho... I've dragged SHIELD into this mess too. What do you all think? Hmm... I'm sure a lot of things are going into your minds. xD let me know what they are...  
**

* * *

**I have to hug these reviewers...  
**

**Soomin -** I am hugging you so much. That was an awesome review! Thank you! Thank you! And yes, I completely agree with what you said about Loki. He's just too troubled to remember it! xD I'm so happy you understand that! Ahh! SOrrry.. i got carried away. mwahha~

**Archer83 -** Don't worry my sweet Archer. They will come.. they will... mwhaha! xD sorry... I'm just so happy.

**Child of the Night13 - **You! I love you so much! Your reviews are always nice and awesome, so thank you so much!

**jaquelinelittle - **I can use these Loki Liesmith's Almost Every Effect Cookies! My favorite is the firebreathing! Mwhaha! Thank you so much for the lovely review and your support of this story. It means so much to me. And I completely agree with you with Tony's food.

**SpilledInkWell - **Oh, it's okay! This story does need more Tom and Loki interaction. They are the mains in this after all. I am just building up the story and coming up with it as I go. It's all in my head after all.. haha...

**Awareness - **Thank you so much for the awesome review! Don't worry, all those questions will be answered soon.

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape -** I would always hug you when you give me such awesome reviews. Thank you!

**Please tell me what you think. Your reviews fuel me to write faster and do my best. It's all so great! Even just a teensy weenie little review will make me smile. :) **


	14. Chapter 14 - Drowning in deals

**This chapter escapes me. I don't know how long I did this. It was hard. I had to do my research, reread everything, rethink everything. I deleted the first one I did because it was so off and I'm just not sure. This isn't proof read yet, so, yeah... most of my chapters aren't. Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed it made me so happy!** **  
**

**"Where the heck did you get this idea?"** This review made me grin like a mad man. This story just had to be made and I enjoy making stories. :) Especially if I have amazing people supporting it, so thank you!

* * *

**oOo**

Loki felt himself slowly drifting into unconsciousness. Waiting for the other Avengers to arrive seemed to drain his energy. Loki's eyes were dropping and soon, his thoughts had began to drift away.

_Boundless,_ _dark desires _and_ delights, _swimming around through still waters.

His memories, _endless_ and he felt like drowning. The silence, tempting to confuse him and the whispers calling to his ears, telling him not to close his eyes.

Loki is a man, who cast two shadows, the light and the dark.

The actions he did, by subjugating earth, it was an act of mercy, a call for help. The things he did for Thor, was an act, a payment in kind for all the things that Thor did to help Loki. Loki, with all innocence and love, only deemed to repay the doings with what he knew how to do.

_Confessions _to Thor, was something different entirely. His confessions were locked like a treasure, trapped into a vault, and kept hidden from the light of truth.

Listening to what lies beneath the truth was something the others need to learn.

Something he already knew.

Loki faced the horrid truth.

The Avengers were willing to help him but not _for _him. It was _for _Earth and the people who live in it but Loki was still glad that at least, the one person that will never stop caring, will always be by his side, no matter how ignorant the other may be with his feelings.

And it was Thor.

Loki glanced at his brother, who seemed to be paying attention to the elevator more than to him. Loki rubbed his eyes unconsciously, feeling the wave of tiredness hitting him.

Before his eyes could close, it drifted off to Tom, Chris and Rob, who were three of the rest that still stayed in their original timeline. Loki thought, that if he ever got the chance to use his magic at full strength, it would be by returning them back to their world.

An act of kindness that he was willing to share, knowing that they don't have a part to share in this world.

A lot of people are already burdened, Loki didn't want anyone else to feel the same way.

Then his eyes drifted off to Dr. Banner, the man had already put differences aside to help him. For the sake of seeing him well and healthy, although fear on both parts were still there, it was shoved aside, lingering still but a truce was in fact, noticeable.

Then, there goes Tony Stark, a man of many strange things. Loki finds him admirable in a way, a story hidden behind the mask Tony puts on and curiosity was simply getting the better of him. This man, who pretends to be whole, was half-broken, if not, then fully broken.

Tony Stark was willing to give leeway, a _chance_, to make things right. Even though it was _unspoken_ the truth lay there, as obvious as a shiny piece of gold laying on the street. He knew Tony had his reasons, personal ones and he lets it go, knowing full well not to press any further than the truth he was given.

These people here, were willing to help and for that, Loki was thankful.

As they waited, Clint, Steve and Natasha came through the elevator and the woman was holding onto a file of some sort that Loki couldn't figure out, but now, he just didn't care.

Sleep was overwhelming.

It had a grip on him and his eyes were slowly closing.

He _listens. _

"You spoke of news?" He heard Thor say as Thor shuffles to get near him.

Loki lets it slide.

He closes his eyes and drifts off to slumber. His head tilting to the side where Thor was. Uncaring if he seemed vulnerable, he knew these people better than to delude power over him, knowing full well of Thor's wrath.

_To be gone, yet not forgotten. _

That slipped through Loki's mind as he felt himself completely asleep. Unaware of his surroundings. He was gone, kept in bitter solid memory, unchanging, and forever branded.

Such a cruel destiny that befalls him.

One false move and it's over, Loki could still feel the mortal strain that's taking its toll on his body. He was a god, reduced into something less. Drained and powerless because of the collar and because of Thanos. When he wakes up, he'll tell them. He'll try and tell them, maybe then, the negative thoughts circling his mind would go away.

He had _dealt the devil's hand. _

He was driven with a purpose but unspoken with fear. Even standing in the deepest darkest corner of the world, Loki will try to make the Avengers see a different side of him.

A light that Thor sees.

The brother that Thor knew.

Despite the soon to be _Betrayal of Trust, _Loki knew he was doing it for the right reasons. He was never going to look back on this, because he knew that if he did, he'll never turn away.

It felt like seconds, minutes, an hour or two?

Loki wasn't sure but he was hearing voices again, not the same kind from Thanos but the voices of Thor's friends. They were distressed. Then, all the thoughts flooded into Loki's mind and just when he thought he'd get a decent sleep, if only for a moment, no, he gets more than he deserves.

He jolts awake from Thor's voice.

"I will not let them touch my brother." Thor roared and Loki shifted, eyes opening.

_Why did he decide to open his eyes and wake from this? _

_Why couldn't he simply stay asleep?_

_Sleep felt good but it wasn't forever._

"I would _not_ let them have Loki." Thor growled, and Loki felt the need to break this, even if he knew nothing of what has transpired.

"Who would not have me?" Loki rubbed his eyes, his voice rusty.

* * *

**oOo **

"What do you mean Shield was in on this?" Tony's eyes widened.

"We weren't kidding when we said that they were in on this." Clint frowned pointing at the file. "Have a look for yourself and see if we're lying or not."

Bruce grabbed the file and began to read it, Tony crept closer to Bruce and read it from behind. Checking a seeing if it was right or not. Bruce took out one file and gave the other to Tony. Each of them began to scour through the file like a computer, searching for important information.

They didn't bother to add Thor to the mix, knowing full well that the god could understand when it was told and besides, Thor seemed occupied with a _sleeping _Loki right now.

"Why are they here?" Natasha glanced to the other three that weren't suppose to be there.

"They need to know as much as we do." Tony piped in, not looking up from the file. "Besides, they'll give us a good enough reason, they know more about our world than we do."

"Point taken." Bruce nodded. "How did you get these?"

"Natasha and I didn't." Clint huffed. "It was Cap who found the file back in DC."

"Found it?" Thor wondered, shifting a little to support Loki.

"I was checking out a crime in Dc where this guy tried acquiring heavy material." Steve breathed. "I was trying to connect the crimes. Mission went well, the guy didn't have any connection at all and so it minuses him out."

"Cap said that last night, Shield came to collect the baddy." Clint shifted to the side. "He was walking around the place when he found a couple of Agents talking about a new mission."

"Something about Director Fury making deals." Natasha added.

"Making deals?" Tony's eyes widened. "For what?"

"Something to ensure the safety of the entire earth. Steve said that he got the file from them and took a run for it, which was the reason why he was in such a hurry to get on board the Quinjet."

"It's not my fault, we needed that information."

"And you did pretty good taking this information. Shield won't look for it, they won't waste time and knowing Director Fury personally, he's already settling the deals."

"I want to know why these two people are associated with each other." Bruce wondered.

Tony began to place the files on the table, sorting it out and soon Bruce began to follow while the others were watching. At one point of the conversation, Tom had raised his legs and hugged his knees. The action didn't go unnoticed by Rob and Chris who just shrugged it off. Tom was staring at Loki, thinking of _how_ he was going to say it to him. The voices were unbearable and he could only do so much.

_**"This is interesting, don't you think?"** _

_"What do you want?" _Tom thinks, not sure whether the voice would answer back. _"Who are you?" _

_**"A fragment. A disembodied voice." **_The voice mockingly laughed. **_"Maybe the stress is taking its toll on you. Perhaps your mind is simply, weak. Creative and interesting yet fragile and easy to__ break." _**

_"I won't break. Not to you."_

Tom continued to stay silent, staring at anyone who would talk, hoping to drown the voice down with the others conversation.

**_"You... will-"_**

Rob and Chris, they stayed quiet as well, knowing full well that interrupting the team won't do any good. They patiently waited for them to finish whatever it is they have to do in order to get back home. The people were waiting for them as much as they were.

Only a little more _patience. _

"Loki?"

"Hmm..."

"Loki?" Thor slung a hand over Loki's shoulder but Loki didn't move, he continued to sleep soundly.

"My brother has completely fallen pray to sleep."

"He looks-" Steve tried to think of the word. "-_Normal_ this way."

"Define normal." Clint rolls his eyes.

"Friends, can I not take my brother to bed?" Thor worriedly glances at Loki.

"Why?" Clint scoffed gesturing to the seat. "He's fine where he is, where we can see him."

"What happened anyways?" Natasha frowned. "We were talking to him earlier."

"The stress must have gotten to him." Tony chuckled as he continued to sort the files on the table. "Besides, I don't think he's fully rested with that two weeks of being sleeping beauty."

"I agree, though I did not understand that reference." Thor brought Loki closer to his chest. "Again, can I not take him to rest? I do not like seeing Loki this way, he is... different."

"We still need him to talk, Thor." Steve said. "As much as I want Loki to rest too, we need confirmation on- on this."

"Can't disagree with the Frozen Soldier." Tony shrugged.

"What do you mean by different?" Clint wondered.

"My friends, this is the brother I grew up with." Thor sighed. "I know the you do not see it but I do. You barely know my brother and I can fully understand that but you must also consider what we have to say. Our realm, our world, is completely different from Earth."

Thor breathes and continues.

"Loki. He is, _returning_, to his old self again. Something changed when my brother fell off the bifrost, we cannot know that for sure until we see his reason. His side. For that, my brother is willing to speak. If you would all listen."

"Of course we will Thor." Steve began. "We need to know."

"The more info, the merrier." Natasha blankly agrees.

"Whatever floats your boat." Clint rolled his eyes.

"He needs the rest though." Bruce says.

"I see, shall I wake him or shall we wait?"

"Yeah, well, let's do that later." Tony eyed one picture, tilting his head. "I know this guy!"

_A picture of a man wearing a lab coat and carrying a young boy, next to him was a woman, almost the same age as him, holding onto his arm. They were all smiling._

"His name is Ronald T. Edixon." Natasha said.

"Ugly name." Tony squints.

"He was a former scientist in Shield, he handled a certain part of the government where you theorize Dimensional travel."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Shield has many secrets you don't know, Mr. Stark. I suggest you suck it up."

"Okay, but why do I know him then? His face seems familiar and I haven't met the guy yet."

"Maybe you do know him." Bruce stated. "It says here that _before_ he was a scientist for Shield, he worked for your company."

"Well that says a lot, green beans." Tony grunts.

"You ridiculed the guy in front of hundreds of people." Clint laughed. "In one of your weaponry exhibition at the Stark expo. He practically lost his mind, got into Hammer industries, stole documents, got fired and got into shield radar. They found out about the plagiarism and Ronald fled the city."

"He killed his wife and used his son as a portal." Natasha added. "Livvy was found dead in one of the rooms and Blake Edixon was found dead at a warehouse district attached to a chair, signs say he was dragged there."

"So all of this-" Bruce motions the whole pile.

"Those on the table were the same documents Ronald stole. Most of the calculations are there as well as a few other things."

"What do you mean?" Thor wonders. "Is there more to it?"

"I think one of the files was talking about Asgard." Steve said. "I've only read a little, I couldn't understand most of it. Sorry."

"I did." Clint pipes in. "There's this one paper that talks about one of the portals opening to another world. A universe so gold and beautiful, like a heaven for the gods."

"Asgard has a similar description." Thor knots his eyebrows. "Is there more?"

"Here you go Point break."

Tony hands him the paper and Thor took it with one hand. Reading the file fast enough, avoiding the unimportant parts and just reading the file prints that seemed to click in his head.

While Thor was eying the paper, the others were quiet. They stared at Thor, who was grinding his teeth, ready to pummel someone to the ground.

Safe to say that Thor didn't like what he was reading.

* * *

**Dimensional Travel **

**Test Subject: **Blake Edixon

**Witnessed and Experimented by: **Ronald Edixon

**Relationship to the Test Subject: **Father

_After careful procedures the portal is slowly opening. Minor set backs and power down, but the test subject seems to be reacting normal. Convulsion at most parts but heart beat going steady. The Portal opens to what seems to be a golden palace, a land so beautiful. _

_Something fit for the gods. I've carefully recorded everything they said, even saw what they looked like. _

_Though my vision wasn't as clear as I hoped as the portal seemed to be closing at the same time. I saw two young boys, a black haired one and a blonde one. They looked to be brothers from the way they talk to each other and I just proved that with their conversation.  
_

___"Brother, be very careful where you aim that."_ The blonde one said. 

_**He seems to be teaching the other one.**  
_

_"Sorry Brother-"_ _This boy said with a soothing voice. _

**_Unsure._**

_"__ I couldn't help it. You and your hammer are just meant for each other. I don't think I could compare-"  
_

_"Do not jest me brother, you are quite well in your skills of dagger throwing."  
_

_"Nonsens-"  
_

**End. **

_I noticed that they were talking about the hammer forged from a dying star, when I saw it, it seemed similar to that description and I believe myself mad but I know what it is._

_I saw it!  
_

_I may have opened a realm that were truly of the gods but I am unsure as the test subject lay dead on the seat. My son wasn't strong enough to hold the portal, for me to continue my founded research. My work was unfinished and I plan to obtain a much larger piece of power that would enable me to bring forth this new world, to Light.  
_

**Needed for next experiment: **Power source._  
_

* * *

"We must stop them from creating more of this." Thor said with worry dripping from his voice. "There can only be _one_ bifrost. Your world _cannot_ handle such power like this. You mortals have strained trust already within the nine realms. You've proven great that others may seek war from you."

"We're not looking for a war." Natasha says.

"Even so. They will see it as you mortals progressing at a much faster pace." Thor bit his lips. "This, file, I have read. It truly speaks of Asgard. And those two young children-"

"Was this guy talking about you and Loki?" Clint asks, interrupting. "The description may not be all that but it seems to be talking about you guys, from the way the file says it."

"Yes, it was." Thor said.

"What happened?" Tony said. "You both seemed jolly."

"My brother and I were young. We were at the training grounds, trying to practice. I had just obtained Mjolnir and my brother was adamant that I practice and he continues to tell me that I am better than he."

"You were training?" Natasha raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, Loki was pushing me to learn how to use Mjolnir for the sake of bringing peace in the nine realms. Whilst that was happening, I was encouraging Loki to do battle like most warriors do but Loki's heart was set on _magic_. The magic that maidens often do in our realm, which was why he was mostly ridiculed for it."

"That's harsh." Tony mumbled. "Magic is like science right?"

"Your people were more barbarians." Bruce shot an apologetic look. "Vikings. More into war. They don't take kindly to those that don't follow that path, right?"

"So Loki likes magic. Different from Battle." Steve sums it. "So, he's like Stark, in a way."

"Why did you get that assumption?" Tony expressed a weirded out look to Steve.

"I agree." Thor said.

"You agree that Loki and I are alike?" Tony raises his eyebrows and rolls his eyes. "Great, at least we all get the same picture. It's actually pretty cool. So, Loki's a magic geek and magic is like science that we don't know. If you compare him to me, that's pretty messed up right there."

"My brother is a genius amongst the Aesir. He knows most of the things that the Aesir have forgotten. Politics, strategies, magic, history. My brother has read most of the contents of the library and yet those who do that are mostly shunned away."

"How come?" Steve wonders.

"The Aesir are born warriors. There are none that wish to simply read. It was no wonder Loki was different and I failed to see that. Which was why my brothers heart was slowly growing cold. I fear the fall from the bifrost amplified it further."

They all nod, knowing that it _pained _Thor to talk about such matters.

Rob understood and so did Chris and Tom.

They've read some of the comics, some of it were accurate, some of it weren't and now, they just weren't sure what was real or not.

"Getting back on track." Tony claps, hoping to get the attention. "It's too late to stop it because, the portal already opened and out comes the three little pigs."

Everyone tries not to roll their eyes.

"We all agree that it's a little too late for that." Bruce says. "But all we have to do now, is get the tesseract back, stop them from taking Loki as a power source and burn the files."

"Shield deleted the rest of the files in their main frame." Tony said, waving one of the files. "We got this one!"

"This guy had back-up copies." Steve says.

"Great, just our luck." Tony throws the file on the table. "Think this is connected to the tesseract opening up the portals? Because my guess is pretty on the spot sure that it's true! We have enough proof."

"Could be." Bruce eyes the documents.

"It says here that everything works, it just needs an energy source powerful enough to open the portal."

"We were talking a while ago and think that Ronald might have been involved in this." Steve supplied. "We aren't too sure. He went missing a few years ago and there's no traces that he died."

"What about the other file?" Thor wondered. "What is the connection to it?"

"The other file is about one of the Agents that went missing but his cover is well kept." Natasha states. "His name is Blake Hadley. He's part of the tesseract project, to guard and secure the area. He has leverage and is one of the most trusted in Shield."

"Apparently, not trust worthy enough." Clint shakes his head.

"What do you mean?" Chris asks, curiously.

"Hold on." Rob raises his hands, then pointing at the picture. "This is the same guy that took me into custody when that last portal opened!"

"Same guy that interrogated me when I first got here." Tom mumbled, burying his chin on his knees.

"I haven't met him yet." Chris states.

"Then he's the right guy." Clint says. "He's M.I.A. too ever since the tesseract was taken, we assume he's involved in this but Shield isn't doing anything to stack up the odds. For what we know, Shield is protecting his identity. Keeping him away from us, all his files were wiped out and only these files were left. We were lucky that Captain America managed to snag this baby up."

"What else do you know?" Bruce asks.

"Our suspicions are, as follows." Natasha crosses her arms. "It's either Ronald and Blake are working together to open up the tesseract or that they're one and the same person."

"One and the same?" Tony snorts. "I find that hard to believe. They look different."

"Facial recognition isn't the only evidence we have." Natasha grunts.

"Well, what does?"

"Clint and I feel something suspicious when we work with this guy and it's not just instincts. This guys back story is completely off limits. No one knows where he came from, just joined the ranks of Shield and acted out as a decent guy for years."

"He's been plotting." Thor pipes in.

"Exactly why we need to put an end to this." Steve says.

"How do we do that?" Tony counters. "We're housing Loki, who's a criminal. No offense Thor."

Thor nods and Tony continues.

"Not only is he a criminal, with a deep back story and we're not sure if Loki's innocent and all, but Shield doesn't know he's here. And Loki's also a battery. A power source that these guys can use to open up the portal."

"What are you trying to say Stark?" Steve asks.

"What I'm trying to say is that, we can't do this without a plan. Think about it, we can't move properly knowing that Shield is possibly behind all of this. Shield is hiding something. They haven't even tried to search for Loki in two weeks and I certainly think that there's something wrong."

"Stark is right." Natasha says. "Shield doesn't stay quiet for long. They would have sent someone to take care of the job."

"Why didn't they let you do it?" Bruce ponders for a moment. "If you think about it, why did they let you monitor our movements when all we're doing is staying at the tower and why was Jarvis disobeying Tony's orders."

"You're not saying that Shield already knows, do you?" Clint's eyes widened.

"It's a possibility." Tom says, earning a few glances.

"What do you mean it's a possibility?"

"Let me get this straight." Tom thought for a moment.

"Take your time." Tony checked the files again, having Jarvis upload it to the main frame.

"Shield is probably using Hawkeye and the Black Widow as an information gatherer and if they don't get that info, they would have canceled you out already from the mission, but they didn't. That means something."

"You're saying that it was their plan all along." Tony points. "It was an elaborated scheme?"

"You're saying that, they sent Natasha and Clint to check up on us and Lie to them." Bruce says. "If they lie-"

"They'll know something's going on." Steve bites his lips. "Assuming that Shield already knows Loki's here. Why aren't they coming to get him?"

"Because Thor is here." Clint understands now. "They don't want to have an intergalactic war on their hands and they have more important stuff to do."

Natasha starts to pace.

"Alright boys, I think I got it." She says. "Clint's right about Thor getting in the way but Shield knows that the rest of the Avengers would also get in the way. Not only that but these three right here, would also add up. They can't take us all down, that would be suspicious if we were all to disappear."

"That deal Director Fury was going to make." Chris said. "You all said that it was to ensure the safety of Earth."

"You don't think that they're willing to make deals with this Blake guy, do you?" Rob raised his eyebrows. "If they make this deal, wouldn't Loki be-"

"I will not let them touch my brother." Thor roared and Loki shifted. "I would not let them have Loki."

"Who would not have me?" Loki rubbed his eyes, his voice rusty.

Everyone snapped their attention to Loki, who was trying to wake himself up by rubbing his eyes. Thor woke Loki up and that was sure. Everyone glanced at each other, hoping not to alert the god so suddenly but Loki just sat there, feet up together on the seat, and still leaning on Thor's shoulders.

"Nice to see you awake, Reindeer games." Tony glances at Thor, who embarrassingly rubs the back of his neck.

"I am sorry for waking you up, Loki." Thor says. "I did not mean to."

"You do not mean a lot of things. It is fine, I doubt I will be able to sleep again." Loki yawns, stretching a little a moving slightly away from Thor.

"I missed a lot, it seems."

"You did." Clint tries to make the best of it.

"Loki, it is fine if you do not-" Thor was interrupted by Natasha.

"I think he deserves to know, we need all the information we can get." Natasha glares at him. "You better start listening and talking when we're through. или я могу просто в конечном итоге убить тебя сам."

Loki frowns, and so does Thor.

They both understood what Natasha said. Her threat wasn't all that good but you can hear the venom in her tone, enough to make them shudder. _"or I might just end up killing you myself." _No wonder she's called Black Widow.

"Okay." Tony smirked. "I'm cutting the crap short."

"Do tell." Loki mumbles.

"Shield was in on this. There's two guys. Ronald T. Edixon, a scientist that _was_ part of Shield. He knows how to operate portals using the same power source. Blake Hadley, Shield Agent. Unknown. He's the guy that's messing around with all of us. Shield, they're planning on taking you into custody."

"I had thought that there were agreements?" Loki's tired eyes narrowed.

"We were just talking about Fury possibly knowing you're here." Clint says. "Alive and ticking. And the theories we're discussing about seem to fall into place. That _they_ might be making a deal to rant you out to the guy that's been following you."

"Following me?" Loki tilts his head, still disoriented from sleep. "I am not sure I follow."

"Recognize this guy?" Natasha picks up a picture and shows it to Loki. "His name is Blake Hadley, is he the guy that's been following you?"

"Yes, I do remember." Loki frowns.

"Care to enlighten us?"

* * *

**oOo **

In Shield headquarters in one of the more secure labs on the helicarrier, Director Fury stood there along with the other council members on the screen. Standing in front of Director Fury is a man in a formal suit wearing sun glasses, his smirk wide on his face.

_"We'd like to know Director, if you are capable to agreeing to this?" _The council woman said.

"I understand what you're trying to tell me." Fury turned. "If I refuse?"

_"We will hand off the safety of the Earth to this young gentleman right here." _The council man chuckles followed by another person, saying...

_"He's been telling us a great deal about this, new world and these people. They would be useful." _

"They belong in another timeline." Fury grunts. "Some family members are waiting and looking for them."

_"We understand but this is an opportunity to learn a few things." _The woman glared. _"The phase 2 of the tesseract project is half-built. We assumed it would have been fully restored by now. This young gentleman right here ensured to us a great deal, we only want to know if you will be willing to join it. If not, we are **shutting down **__the Avengers Initiative for good." _

"You can't do that." Fury glares. "The safety of the world depends on the Avengers."

"And the safety of mankind depends on the future." The man behind Fury stated. "Sir. I've worked for you for a long time now. It's time to step up the game."

_"You should know well to listen to him." _One of the council men said.

_"This will ensure a 50% chance of safety." _

"And you all believe him?" Fury narrowed his eyes.

_"He's proven himself trustworthy enough. More than you." _The woman said.

_"He's been serving for Shield for a long time now. And he was the first person to express concern about the tesseract and he informs us of it every chance he gets."_

_"You on the other hand."_ The man says. _"Cut us off each chance we form an agreement. Will you accept it or not?" _

"I'd like to hear the deal again." Fury turns away from the screen. "I'll get back to you on that later."

"Willing to make the end of the bargain." The man smiles at him.

"I know I won't like where this is going." Fury lifts his chin up. "Start talking, or I start shooting."

"There's a lot of things you should know. I have the tesseract and it's safe in my hands and here I am making up this request to you. Isn't that easy?"

"What are you hoping to achieve?" Fury growled.

"Many things."

"You make play of the Avengers like they're your lab rats."

"You do the same." The man frowned. "Don't think yourself more virtuous than anyone else."

"It's all about codes, am I right?"

"To you, Director, that's all about everything I hear." The man says. "I want balance. Is that so much to ask?"

"Run that plan by me again." Fury relaxes.

"If you give me Loki as an energy source to open up the realms, I could use him to send back the three that came here. Without a doubt, they are nothing but useless piles of trash waiting to be stepped on and hauled of the garbage dump."

"There's more, isn't there Agent Blake?"

"Clever Director." Blake grinned.

"If you could continue, _Agent_."

_**Sarcasm**._

"If I have Loki, I could use his energy to completely drain him of his powers and he could be sent off to jail without any strength left. We Agents from Shield have a code to get the job done and give the people what they deserve. A god of mischief is no exception to the law."

"I'm listening."

"The tesseract, will be returned once it's power is used." Blake put his hands in his pockets. "Thor can have it so he can go back to Asgard but first, I have plans of my own."

"One that you won't tell me." Fury concluded and Blake nodded. "I get it. No wonder the council was dumb enough to agree, it is a 50% chance of survival. How can I know for sure _you _aren't the _threat?_"

"Do you trust anyone else?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

Fury remained silent.

"Do we have a deal or not?" Blake raised his right arm for a shake.

"If you threaten this world, I will make sure you pay the price." Fury shakes Blake's hands. "Don't make me want to kill you, because I won't hesitate to do so."

"When can I have the god of mischief?" Blake licked his lips.

"Find your own way to do it." Fury turned towards the door. "I'm not getting involved in your plan to take him. I'm on my own side on this. _This _is your problem for the time being. Think of it as a gift."

Fury walks away and Blake grins, shaking his head in annoyance. Typical, he knew it wasn't going to be easy, making a deal with Fury. It's obvious that the man would make it difficult for him.

He just needed Loki.

That was it.

_"My plan... it will work." _

_**"Are you sure?"** _The other hisses to his ears. **_"What becomes of this plan that my Lord wishes to be fulfilled? How long will this play out? MY LORD! Haattess waiting."_ **

_"Easy." _Blake smiles as he turns away, heading far from the Helicarrier into one of the helicopters.

_"I take Loki, use him to open the portal to send the three back to their own world. Then once they're out of the way. I would use Loki to open up the portal, to Lord Thanos, have Loki open it to Asgard and send my Lord to the gauntlet. Once that is over, I give Loki and the tesseract to him." _

_**"And the price my Lord will give?"** _

_"He will let me rule the other world, as promised." _

_**"Will you truly, not disappoint?"** _The other hissed. _**"If you do, you will be punished, like the sweet trickster you will use."** _

_"I won't. I'm sure of it."  
_

* * *

**oOo**

"You are shitting us, aren't you?" Tony messed his hair. "Can you run that by us again?"

"I do not wish to repeat myself." Loki whispers.

"Great, who the hell is Thanos?!"

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...  
**

**Don't worry, I will clear any questions if you have any. The last part will be continued in the next chapter, it's kinda an insight on the next chappie... anyways, please tell me what you think and if there's something you'd like to point out, I am willing to hear it. :)  
**

**Thank you for reading, reviewing, alerting, faving, etc... :D Tell me what you think please... xD  
**


	15. Chapter 15 - At the hands of the Titan

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* * *

**oOo  
**

"Following me?" Loki tilts his head, still disoriented from sleep. "I am not sure I follow."

"Recognize this guy?" Natasha picks up a picture and shows it to Loki. "His name is Blake Hadley, is he the guy that's been following you?"

"Yes, I do remember." Loki frowns.

"Care to enlighten us?"

Loki hesitated for a moment before explaining, unsure of what to say, he takes a deep breath and moves slightly away from Thor. He meant was he said earlier about telling the truth for now, but he wasn't sure anymore.

"Don't lie to them, Loki." Thor stated, his voice stern and steady. "Tell them the truth so that your burdens may be eased."

"_Them."_ Loki grumbles and rolls his eyes. "Of course."

Loki grimaced, _given that he didn't have much of a choice. _

Loki averted his gaze from the Avengers, trying to recall the past memories that he just wanted to forget, but telling them the truth would ensure trust among them.

"It is true that he is the one chasing after me."

"Do you know why?" Clint asks.

Loki contemplates the answer on how he would be able to _fool _them. Lead them to believe that he was really on that verge of gaining nothing, which he already was in the verge of.

Perhaps, telling them the _truth _would lead them to believe.

What better way than to twist things?

Besides, if this plan would work to ensure his survival from Thanos, then he would have to truly do it. But he didn't have the heart to burden Thor with any of it any longer. These human's as well, they were sort of growing on him. Especially the human's not ever from this world.

"The _other_ is controlling him." Loki mumbles, snuggling closer to Thor.

The comfort was there, he could feel it swelling up in his chest.

_"They must think me an idiot for this."_

"Other what?" Tony flusters.

"He is called the _Other._"

"Strange name." Bruce mutters.

"The _Other_." Thor feels disgust when he says it.

"So, who is he?" Steve asks.

"He was the one who provided me with the army." Loki manages to say, his eyes completely away from everyone else.

Everyone looked at each other, trying to grasp the idea. So Loki wasn't the only one behind this brain of operations. He was just as much as a victim like everyone else. The Avengers disregarded the file on the table and waited for Loki to continue.

Rob, Chris and Tom stayed silent on their seats, wanting to hear more. They didn't really want to butt in on the conversation and make things even more awkward.

"Provided you with the army?" Steve repeated. "So does that mean that-"

"It means Captain," Loki snarls silently. "That I was not the only one behind the attack. I was only an ally that could be made use of, once they're through with me, I'll be sent to my death."

"Tell us more about this _other,_ Loki." Thor insists.

"If we promise to listen carefully and understand," Bruce said. "You'll keep talking?"

Loki nods.

"Well, by all means, go ahead." Clint waved. "We're all ears."

"You said this _Other _is controlling Agent Blake." Natasha said. "Why?"

"He is just a puppet, promised a world that he will never have." Loki bitterly spats. "Much like what was promised to me before I had... come to Earth."

"Can you start from the beginning?" Tony cringes. "I'm don't buy it."

"Mhm..." Loki nods.

"It is fine, Loki." Thor said. "We are willing to listen. Are we not?"

The others nodded.

"There is nothing you should be ashamed of, Loki. You are given a chance to speak and here we are, waiting to listen. If you need to take a while perhaps-"

"It is fine." Loki says. "I'm fine."

He stayed silent, his hand visibly trembling.

Natasha, Clint, Bruce and Tony figured it was probably a post traumatic stress reaction to the memories flooding his mind.

Tony knew that well, he'd experienced some stuff too, but they figured that telling Loki about it would probably agitate the god even more, so they kept it to themselves.

It took a moment for Loki to compose himself, taking a deep breath and speaking.

"Has Thor told you of my disappearance a year ago?" Loki asked.

"Not that I recall." Tony thought. "Do _you_ guys remember?"

"I had told you before, I suppose." Thor began. "When I had tried to destroy the Bifrost to stop... to stop Loki. He, fell afterwards, I had not seen him until now."

"Disappeared for over a year?" Bruce concluded. "Then came back after, but this time, on Earth."

"So you committed suicide after trying genocide and regicide?" Tony pointed out, earning an elbow from Natasha. "So, am I right?"

"Yes." Loki agreed, now playing with his sleeve. "When I fell off the Bifrost, I had thought myself to already be dead."

"But that wasn't the case." Steve answered.

"No." Loki thought back to the time he had fallen.

"Loki, are you-" Thor wanted to ease his brothers pain, but Loki insisted, interrupting him.

"I had thought that death would be a mercy, a blissful state where I could be left alone, away from the world. I had let go because I thought that there was nothing for me to live for, my purpose was to be a bargain for Odin and to restore peace on Asgard and Jotunheim..."

"So you decided that wasn't going to happen." Natasha crossed her arms.

"Yes. The feeling of being loved, only because you were useful."

"Loki that was not the case." Thor said, hurtful of his brother's words. "Father loves you."

"Loved, Thor." Loki stared at the floor. "I let go, because it was my choice. I would rather die than face the consequences of my actions. A cowardly choice but I do not regret that..."

"What do you regret?" Tony wondered.

"Many things after I fell." Loki clenched his hands. "It had started with darkness, a feeling of floating into nothing then-"

_A world of silence, a bitter twist of fate, hanging on the balance of life and death. He stayed there for a moment, his eyes fluttering through the darkness. He could still hear his brothers cry 'Loki Nooo!' It twisted his heart even more, the question lingering in his mind... _

_Why am I still alive?  
_

_His eyes fluttered for a moment, wondering how long it had been since he fell. There was no way for him to tell. It was dark, and he felt the cold run through his skin, even though he was a frost giant, he could still feel it._

_Time must've passed...  
_

_He didn't know.  
_

_ But he did notice someone or something hovering above him, trying to reach out to him. He tried to take it, hoping that it was a new world, a new life to start at again, where no one knew him but soon, he would have **regret** his actions...  
_

_He tried to reach out, but his body was numb.  
_

_It tried to take him.  
_

_The light from the object behind it, shimmered it's way to his eyes, blinding him. He felt a rough tug run through his body, pain hitting him and the darkness, overwhelming his consciousness...  
_

_Rendering him incapable of a peaceful slumber.  
_

_All of a sudden, he felt pain juggle its way around his body. The pain was endless. Whispers circling and disrupting his thoughts. He couldn't think, he couldn't see, he could barely even feel. All he knew was pain, subsiding and growing... a continuous process.  
_

_Wake up!  
_

_He awoke to a pain on his stomach, he twisted to the side only to be hit again.  
_

_Loki regained back his sight and hearing, only to see a figure casting a shadow in front of him, and many other countless shadows lurking about in the background.  
_

_He grits his teeth and grunts in pain, closing his eyes.  
_

_"He awakens." Someone says.  
_

_He opens his eyes, only to fully realize the situation he was in._

_He was surrounded by the Chitauri, his neck had a collar chained to a post and he felt his flesh burning from it. His wrists, bruised from the cuffs and chains and his feet tightly locked in place. _

_A panic waved over him as he struggled out of instincts only to be hit again by one of them.  
_

_"State your name..." **It** hisses.  
_

_Loki kept silent, he wouldn't break by being hit._

**_It _**_motioned to the chitauri as one of them pulled at the chain on his neck, dragging him to it's feet. _

_Loki raised his head, hissing at it, showing courage._

_"Your name..."  
_

_It pulled at his hair violently and it growled at him, Loki retaliated by kicking it, which only resulted to the chitauri flying far away and him dropping stomach first on the ground.  
_

_He groans.  
_

_"You are stubborn." **It** laughs. "Much like the Aesir."  
_

_Loki glares at it.  
_

_"You dress like them. You radiate power, unlike any other. You reek of it."  
_

_"What do you want?" Loki grunts, tugging at the chain.  
_

_"Not I." _

_It walks closer to Loki, walking behind him, touching his neck, seeing how he will react. Loki doesn't move. He stays where he is. _

_"But my master." It breathes down his neck, sending chills to Loki's body.  
_

_It continued.  
_

_"You were cast away, weren't you? Left to die. Thrown like a commoner, the people who raised him... sacrificed so many... what cost did it do but create chaos!"  
_

_"How did you-" Loki choked, a tension in the air. _

_Like someone was watching. _

_Loki observed the place, it was full rock, dark and deserted. The stars visible, the space consuming with emptiness. Fear radiated all over the place, blood smeared on the rocks. _

_Some of his own blood, on the floor.  
_

_"They cast you out."  
_

_"I fell." Loki managed to say without choking on the words.  
_

_"Naive Aesir, but **not **Aesir." It said. "Liar. Trickster. Silver-tongue."  
_

_"You know who I am." Loki glares. "Why bother to ask?"  
_

_"A Prince, you were." Loki's eyes widened as it continued, ignoring his questions. "A prince no longer, yes? Abandoned. Shamed."_

_"I fell." Loki bit his lips. "It was my choice."  
_

_"Ridiculed. Exposed. Forsaken. Not trusted-"  
_

_"I fell! I let go!" Loki shouts.  
_

_"Disregarded!" It shouts back. "No freedom. An impulse so strong, yet so weak. Abandoned. Left to die. It is... nauseating to know, to see truth."_

_"What do you want?"  
_

_"Master sees potential."  
_

_"Let me go!" He speaks courageously yet his voice deceiving him.  
_

_Loki hears laughter echo from behind him, thundering footsteps echo through the land. Loki froze, distress clear on his face. He felt a tug at the chains, but he was too busy trying to focus on something. He hears a voice, soon forgets what it had said.  
_

_Because moments later, he could feel himself slowly loosing consciousness.  
_

_He was barely allowed to make noise, biting his lips to stop a scream as he was tortured. Moments where he'd shout for help or ask, it would result to something worse. He would often refuse, ignore the agreement, or downright be stubborn... it was in his nature...  
_

_But it did him no favors.  
_

_Blood would spill. Tears were shed. Screams echoed. Sweat poured. Pain erupts. Focus, forgotten. Trust, abandoned and devoided answers and questions. _

_His silver-tongue, left to silence and a horrendous truth uncovered, that-  
_

* * *

**oOo**

"No one would find me." Loki whispers. "That all hope was lost when I had entered their world. There was little choice I had on the matter. Let alone, it was unexpected."

"You left a lot of holes on that story." Clint says in disbelief.

"I only ask you leave those unspoken words to my thoughts alone." Loki leans heavily on Thor, who managed to loop an arm around Loki protectively.

"You can't honestly expect us to believe you were taken by the _Other _and all of a sudden.. Bam!" Tony says. "You were given their army because you were strong?"

"That's not all." Natasha frowns. "Clint said there were holes in it. You better keep talking. You already have us on a thin line on patience."

"And here I thought you would understand and listen." Loki grimaces.

"My friends." Thor says. "Perhaps we should leave Loki to-"

"Maybe you should continue." Tom speaks up.

"Why should I?" Loki answers back. "The rest of you would not even listen, let alone try to understand. It is _not_ easy to say."

"That's why I'm trying to help." Tom bites his lips. "You trust me, don't you?"

Tom asks the Avengers, and they were all caught by surprise on this one. They _did _trust Tom, no matter what they try to think of the result stays the same. Chris and Rob were full support with Tom on this one. Tom wouldn't lie, and who better to know Loki than the one who played... Loki.

"What do you have to say?" Clint asks.

"Hear him out." Tom says without faltering. "He's telling the truth whether you like it or not. We may not have elaborated it in the movie but it was implied that something did happen."

"Torture." Rob speaks up.

Tony tenses for a while, that was unexpected, especially coming from himself. The others noticed him tense and of course, saw Loki stiffen too but the god was good at hiding emotion.

Loki leaned closer to Thor, he was just too tired to keep _pretending _he was okay.

Maybe it was time to show Thor that brother he grew up with, the Loki, was still there, waiting to be recognized and to be seen again. Loki was truly and desperately trying to make things work again, despite all the other things he's put up with. It was already a further step into the light than he had done in years...

"That time when you came to Earth." Clint mumbles.

"Is there something you're not telling us, Clint?" Natasha narrows her eyes.

"I think he knows something." Bruce projects his voice. "From the looks of it, the grudges we have are the only thing keeping us all apart."

"You are all still angry at my brother." Thor brusquely said.

Loki watched with equanimity towards the group, it was interesting to see themselves try to fix their team up in a situation already buried with troubles, the only thing they were doing is adding up to the mess.

"Alright. Listen up." Steve says and everyone stays silent. "We hold our grudges for another day, we need to get answers, alright."

"It's not that easy, Cap." Tony fastidiously said.

"What do you mean, Stark?"

"Look at it this way. It's all personal to us, with whatever Loki did. No offense Reindeer games, I still hate you for throwing me out the window and..."

_Coulson. _

"It is that man." Loki speaks quietly but respectfully.

Clint clenches his fists, Natasha shoots glares at him, Tony stays silent, Bruce looks away, Steve sighs feeling a weight on his chest and Thor, he frowns.

"I am not sure if you will take it or not, but I _am _sorry."

"Sorry my ass!" Clint shouts. "You're the reason why people died! If you hadn't come here in the first place, none of this would have happened!"

"Clint." Natasha whispers.

"What?!" Clint glares. "I'm not accepting that apology."

Thor doesn't even bother to stop Clint from getting angry, Loki had shaken his head when Thor was ready to pounce. Loki wanted to calm Clint down, let him relieve his anger.

"None of us do." Tony said. "I hate you, but I'm willing to give you a chance. You hear me?"

Loki stares.

"I've given it a two week thought. Not something I usually do, but hell I did it anyway. You best not make me regret it. What you did to Coulson... he didn't deserve it. We all have a personal issue with you, don't forget that."

Tom looks away, he can't even bare the sight of them ganging up on Loki and Thor was useless right now. He was out numbered on the matter and he was trying his best to follow what Loki was trying to do...

Make peace.

Chris leaned heavily on the couch, sighing a little loudly, this is getting worse by the second. Rob keeps silent, see how this plays out. No matter what he does, it's still not helping. The way he sees Loki, pains him a little, knowing that the guy had some good in him.

"If we could just get back on track." Steve sternly said.

"Shit." Clint insidiously says.

"Clint." Natasha glares.

"I meant he looked like shit when he got here." Clint grumbles and looks away.

"What do you mean?" Tony asks.

"When he came to Earth through the tesseract, he had dark bags under his eyes. His clothes were a mess, had dirt all over him and he was in bad shape."

Everyone turned to Loki.

"Is that true?" Steve solicited.

"Mostly." Loki closes his eyes, not wanting to recall.

"Mostly my ass." Clint barks.

"Can you elaborate more on that, Clint?" Natasha said. "You're not making much sense."

"He was all over the place. I remember him limping his way to the truck, one of the Agents had to support him before he collapsed. Same goes when we got to _our _base of operations. Every time he was secluded, he'd come back all banged up. I never asked, _didn't _have to."

"It was the _other_." Loki says, opening his eye to stare at Tom.

"I'm starting to get chills because of this guy." Tony shudders.

"What are you trying to say Loki?" Thor probes.

Loki explains, glancing again at the floor.

"It is true, what Rob has said. When I was... at the hands of the chitauri, I had refused to help them. They asked many questions but I gave them none. Months of... pain and suffering at their hands. To taste dirt, feel blood gushing and barely holding your consciousness."

Loki continues, his voice trembling.

"I cannot name everything they have done to me but I kept myself sturdy for months, even with the torture but the pain had gone over the limits and my body could no longer take it. Left to the brink of insanity and lost for hope, I gave up and gave them what they want."

"Meaning?" Bruce wondered.

"I've heard them speaking for months about the tesseract and their use for him. I had tried to manipulate them to get me out but they would not, not unless I was... _shown _the true power of the tesseract. They had done it many times, but I had refused to listen."

"What happens then?" Tony regrets asking.

"You lose yourself and all sanity you have left." Loki mumbles. "Months of exposure to the power of it amplifies the hold it has on the victim. It had been introduced to me many times, in..."

He pauses.

"Many methods."

Everyone cringes at the thought but Loki continues.

"I had accepted my fate, but I had a plan of my own. They wanted to get into Asgard but I told them it would be better if they showed their true power to someone else first, conquer a place where none could stand. My first thoughts were of Earth."

"Why am I not surprised?" Rob jokes.

"What happened then?" Chris asked.

"I thought you guys know." Tony raised his eyebrow.

"Parts of it." Tom says. "Not all of it."

"Continue, Loki." Thor insists.

"I figured if _they _would come to Earth, Thor would immediately find me. Heimdall, the gate keeper, would have surely seen it, thus calling Thor. The rest happened as planned and because of it, they did not go to Asgard, at least."

"You were trying to protect us." Thor said.

"No." Loki frowned. "It was a selfish desire to save myself. I care not for this realm but now..."

"Things change." Natasha sums it up.

"You keep mentioning _Them_." Bruce says.

"I was wondering about that too!" Steve said. "It is the Other and the chitauri. You said you were.. subordinates, like allies and was talking about a master."

Loki takes a deep breath.

"The one who applied the..." Loki licks his lips. "Torture... was the _Others _master. He was the one who wanted to rule Asgard and give the lives of people to his beloved... _to death." _

Thor's eyes widened.

"NO!" He shouts. "Loki, surely you are mistaken-"

"Do I look like I mistook it?" Loki turns to Thor.

Thor swallows.

"He _took_ me in to _use_ me. He broke me to do his bidding, I retaliated. Every time I left Barton and Selvig alone to do their work, I spoke to the _Other_ about my fate. He threatens me pain and suffering if I fail and his master would seek me, reduce me to nothing."

"He would find you?" Steve worriedly said. "Who's this master?"

"He is mad, vile, cruel and disturbing." Loki says. "He speaks of death as if it was his lover. He enjoys cruelty and pain, he loves chaos and fire. He wishes to inflict pain on Earth, now that you've shown your capable skills."

No one knew what to say.

"That man, Coulson." Loki grimaces. "He was right about his assumption towards me."

"He spoke to you?" Tony's quickly asked.

"Before I got hit, yes." Loki's lips thinned into a line. "He said I lacked _conviction. _Which is true, I wanted you to win. I can clearly create more chaos than what the chitauri had done, but I figured it would be useless to waste the energy I had left. The _Other's master _has a hold on me... still..."

"What kind of hold?" Natasha wonders.

"A strong one. He is etched deep into my mind. Corrupted me to the brink of insanity, as I have said." Loki thinks back on it. "He also has the scepter, that is with your Agent Blake. Thus another reason why the _Other's _hold is strong."

"Loki, surely this master is not..." Thor gets the idea.

"It is.."

"Who are you guys talking about?" Clint glares.

"He is Thanos." Loki dangerously whispers.

"Thanos?" Steve repeats.

Loki hesitantly nods.

"He means to destroy the realm that so threatens his leadership. Earth is ready for a higher form of war, and since Thanos knows of your heroic actions, he will come for all of you, to kill you but you will first lay and beg for his mercy... much like... I was reduced to once... though it will never happen again. "

* * *

**oOo**

"You are shitting us, aren't you?" Tony messed his hair. "Can you run that by us again?"

"I do not wish to repeat myself." Loki whispers, buried on Thor's chest.

"Great, who the hell is Thanos?!"

"He is feared by the nine realms." Thor speaks up. "He is a harbinger of death, known as the Mad Titan. My Father had fought him once, for the Infinity gauntlet... the gems... He uses cosmic energy, which is probably why he desires the tesseract."

"The cosmic Cube." Bruce says.

"Why would he need it?" Steve said. "If he's that strong, why does he need this thing?"

"Because he can conquer all realms with it." Loki says. "A portal that would bring him anywhere at any time."

"This higher being." Steve asks. "This Thanos. He's behind all of this, right? Everything that's happened. With you. With Earth."

"Yes." Loki nods.

Everyone gets it now.

"If you must know." Loki swallows. "I had... not intentionally escaped on purpose, before. The collar, it had deactivated itself and through your... Jarvis... this Agent Blake spoke to me. I ran to get away but there was no use escaping it."

"Why?" Bruce thinks. "I thought he was done with you."

"Almost." Loki says. "He calls me his _pet_ or his _lab rat _much like _Thanos _does."

Loki bitterly laughs.

"To think I am reduced to a common slave, begging for mercy at their feet. Shameful. A pet that does their bidding no matter how ridiculous the request may be..."

"You're not implying that you've..." Tony thought of a horrible thing.

Loki cringed.

"I'd rather not say."

They all shudder in disgust, who knew Loki lived so cruelly in a matter of months, that would all happen. They never expected it to be such a horrific story.

A life, not worth living.

_Death_ was truly a mercy if you were to live this way.

"Thanos, will see me punished to the end." Loki says. "Promised with the tesseract from Agent Blake, the scepter back in his hands, and soon, I will also fall pray to them."

"We will not let that happen." Thor growls. "I will not give up!"

"He has a hold over you." Tom says unexpectedly. "Do you think he has a hold on me too?"

_An innocent question..._

_yet...  
_

_Riddled with many more questions...  
_

"What do you mean Tom?" Chris wonders. "You're not saying you're also..."

"I'm not." Tom defends. "I was asking."

"You haven't been yourself lately either." Rob countered.

"Maybe because we've been here for so long." Tom excused.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Tony raised his hands. "Hold on there three stooges! What the hell is going on?! We're being bombarded with so many questions and answers, I'm loosing track of it all!"

While the others try to settle themselves, Loki's eyes were beginning to drop again. He could feel his spine tingling, and heavy breathing on his ears again, he tried to ignore it. Maybe if he were to tell them right now, that Thanos has the ability to speak through his mind, would they think him insane?

This mortal, who shares his face, is also troubled.

* * *

_"This has something to do with the connection, yes?" Loki asks quickly and silently. "It bothers you."_

_"It does." Tom left it at that. _

* * *

Loki speaks up, not regretting his actions.

"I must mention that the way the _other _and Thanos can manipulate people is through their minds. They twist your every word, make you feel yourself unworthy and have fear run through your body and mind."

"You seem to know a lot about this." Natasha says.

"I've been with them for over a year, Agent Romanov. Nothing to do but feel pain, suffering and do observation." Loki says. "They have broken into my mind countless times before, just like what the tesseract has done to..."

"To control people." Clint glares.

"So this guy is a Jedi?" Tony wisecracks. "So what, telepathy?"

"When you are connected to him, you cannot run from it." Loki looks away. "You will hear his voice and you will cringe at his ghostly touch."

"He's been speaking to you!" Thor concluded and growls. "WHY HAVE YOU NOT SAID SOMETHING, LOKI!?"

"Would it have mattered?" Loki counters.

"WE COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING?"

"Like what? You would have done what?"

"Loki-"

"You would not believe me until I have said my piece of the story. You would have thought me delusional or insane. More than I already am!"

"You are not insane brother-"

"You don't know what insanity is!" Loki shouts back. "Yes, I hear his voice but try my best no to listen to it but I would be more careful with the mortal since he does not know the consequences!"

Everyone turns to Tom, who had been sitting there quietly listening. Clint stands up and walks forward, grabbing at Tom's collar, lifting him up.

"Hey!" Rob and Chris rushed forward, trying to push Clint away.

"You Bastard!" He shouts. "Why didn't you say anything, at all if you knew something was wrong?"

"Clint." Natasha, grabs Clint and pulls him away. "Stop it."

"What would I have to say?" Tom tiredly says.

"What have you been experiencing?" Bruce asked. "I checked you, you seem fine. I didn't miss anything... did I?"

"Nothing!" Tom defends. "I swear! I don't know what you're talking about."

"Wait." Tony stops. "Are you sure about this Reindeer games?"

"About what?" Loki asks.

"This whole Tom thing and the Thanos thing. As kinky as it sounds, I don't like this guy prodding into other people's minds. It's worse, hearing a voice in your head telling you what to do."

"It is my assumption. I am not sure."

"If everyone would calm down!" Steve motioned and commanded.

"If Tom says nothing is wrong, then nothing is wrong." Chris speaks up. "Tom wouldn't lie... right?"

**_"Perfect!"_ **Tom hears, his hands shook a little. _**"Listen to them, such joy... tell them... I dare you... tell them!"**_

"I'm fine, I swear." Tom said. "I probably miss home, that's all."

_**"Tell them, I will kill everyone in this room, one by one. The trickster may have defied some of my orders... and you may know who I am... but this is not over."** _

_"What do you want?" _Tom bows his head, tiredly.

_**"Freedom."**_

* * *

**oOo  
**

"Where do you think they've gone?"

Sharlotte asked as she sat in one of the coffee shops in town with the Avengers, or what's left of the Avengers. They all sat with each other, a heavy tension circling the air around them. Armed guards surrounding the area, or at least just the front door.

"We're under protective custody now." Jeremiah scowled.

"It's been like this for months now." Russo said. "We've been meeting up, discussing the same thing all over again."

"That's not really what bothers us all." Evans speaks up. "Rob, Chris and Tom are still missing, we get that. No signs of them all over the world..."

"You don't think that they've..." Russo shakes his head. "No, They're gonna be fine right? I mean... sure it's been-"

"It's been 5 months." Sharlotte frowns. "Everyone else is loosing hope that we'll ever find them."

"They can't lose hope, not right now." Evan rubs his temples.

"Your point?" Jeremiah asks.

"I mean, Rob has two kids and a wife and Chris has a daughter and a wife waiting for them. Not to mention every single one of Tom's friends and fans are looking."

"What do you want us to do, Cap?" Jeremiah says mockingly. "We can't even get decent privacy anymore. And above all, everyone is devastated with their disappearance."

"Who do you think is coming next?" Russo wonders.

At the exact moment, the world started to shake. The light bulbs exploded and they ducked for cover, the whole town was shaking from an earthquake. People outside were running for safety. Sharlotte, Russo, Jeremiah and Evans all ducked under the coffee table.

The world was still shaking.

"Where did this Earthquake suddenly come from?" Jeremiah shouts.

"I don't want to find out!" Sharlotte answers back.

"Take cover!"

Street lamps were falling over the streets, some signs bent and have fallen over, cars beeping, electrical wires sparking up and the ceiling was falling down on top of them.

This was no ordinary Earthquake..

No...

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...  
**

**This chapter is so hard to write! XD I keep going back and forth and it confused me so much! Hope it didn't confuse you. Thank you for the support!  
**

**Please review and tell me what you think. :)  
**


	16. Chapter 16 - Save me from myself

**I am terribly sorry for the delay, it seems that college is catching up to me. I have no real excuse but college and writers block. **

**I'm Planning on updating Past encounters and the sequel to the Perfect Victim soon. Past encounters is a time travel fic. Perfect Victim is a growing insane Loki, trapped within the dungeons fic. ****If you haven't read it yet, feel free to do so. **

**It won't disappoint, promise.**

**And please, don't hesitate to give ideas, I am open to all of them. Thank you again for bearing with me for so long. **

* * *

**oOo **

Agent Blake stood inside one of the abandoned SHIELD bases near New York, not the one that the Avengers had collapsed when trying to save Rob.

No.

A far more, intriguing and better suited work space. It has more labs and rooms much similar to the Helicarrier. Though dusty and completely outdated, it's still a good place to hide and with all the men he had hired, they could clean this place up in a jiffy.

His new project, was trying to find out how he could connect the tesseract without any power source. It was such a hindrance that it has to be connected to Loki and because of his lack of the god, the tesseract won't allow him to bother another timeline.

He has to try at least.

"Put it there." He pointed at the large circular metal object in the middle of the room.

"I've inserted it properly, Sir." One of the thugs said. "Should I activate it?"

"Go ahead." Blake frowns. "Hurry, I haven't got all day. I still have the council to attend to."

"Yes Sir."

They punched in a few buttons and activated the tesseract with a few commands. They had wiring connected all over it, hoping to power it with electricity enough to jolt the thing to life.

"This thing better work." He mutters. "I need those three distractions out of my life."

He watched the portal attack its way to the circular metal and connected through it, spreading a giant mass of blue particles all over the place and breaking down into a small hole in the air.

_"They can't lose hope, not right now."_

_"Your point?"_

Blake squints his eyes as the light blinded the room, the whole place began to shake. Blake tried to keep his balance as the voices echoed inside the whole facility.

_"I mean, Rob has two kids and a wife and Chris has a daughter and a wife waiting for them. Not to mention every single one of Tom's friends and fans are looking."  
_

"Sir!" One of the Agents shouted. "We need to shut it down!"

"No!" Blake screamed. "Not yet!"

_"What do you want us to do, Cap?" Jeremiah says mockingly. "We can't even get decent privacy anymore. And above all, everyone is devastated with their disappearance."_

"The whole place will collapse on us if we don't stop this!" One of the scientist held on for dear life.

"I'm not shutting it down just yet and you follow my orders!"

_"Who do you think is coming next?"_

"Sir, will all due respect the connection is still unstable and it will match with the-"

_"Where did this Earthquake suddenly come from?"_

They hear one of them scream, they couldn't see as the light kept intensifying. They kept their eyes shut as they braced themselves for a strong one.

The Tesseract had brought out an earthquake and with no power source to keep the connection stable, the worlds are being torn apart bit by bit.

_"I don't want to find out!"  
_

"Fine!" Blake shoved the scientist away. "SHUT IT OFF!"

_"Take cover!"  
_

Before they could hear anything else, they shut the tesseract off and the earthquake stopped immediately. Blake cursed as he kicked one of the chairs and ran a hand to his hair.

The other people inside the lab picked up the pieces of broken objects that fell during the earthquake and they were glad it only did minimal damage. He knew that SHIELD would pick up the tremor but won't be close enough to notice where it originated, so he was lucky to say that this had been a really stupid breakthrough.

Power source as electricity, he read on one of the files.

"Damn." He scribbled it off in frustration.

He cursed and shouted, screaming at the top of his lungs as he threw the papers on his desk. Agent Blake rubbed at his face and grabbed a lock of hair and pulled in frustration. It didn't work, or at least it partly worked but that wasn't enough. He needed to get them, to use them. But first he needed the power source, which was Loki.

"I need to fix it." He muttered. "It can't be fixed without him. I need him for... for this and for..."

_Thanos._

If he didn't have Loki, he wouldn't be able to open the portal, if he can't open the portal then he can't have his world. His dream and Thanos would kill him if he couldn't even succeed in this task. It was an easy one, he just needed to manipulate things.

"I need him. This has to work."

The tesseract was one thing, to open the realms but he didn't need a distraction. Opening it without any means of a power source would only create a small portal, that can disrupt both worlds if left open.

"It's not enough!"

Channeling the energy of the tesseract for too long in that world could kill a lot of people and soon, it would devour the entire world.

He didn't want to risk it.

Blake had the tesseract in his arms, now, all he needs is Loki.

So he could send the three copy cats and fulfill his plan. He wasn't looking into bringing the others but it looks like the tesseract had a mind of its own.

"It's all wrong." He groaned. "All of it! The files. Damn it! Where is he?"

"No word from Director Fury Sir."

"FIND HIM! Or at least help him get what I need!"

He kept asking where Fury was and how long it was going to take him to get Loki in their hands.

He can only open the portal for a small amount of time and though it may be pulling Loki's magic because of the connection Loki had with the tesseract, it still wasn't enough.

Loki _had _to be connected to the tesseract physically and mentally.

Sure it would probably ruin what's left of Loki's mind but Blake never really cared. All he wanted was something for himself. Sure the tesseract would corrupt Loki further and sure it might ruin a life or two, but hey, everything has a consequence and he never really cared about them.

"He better bring me my power source fast or I will act on my own!" He shoved past a scientist. "Consequences be damned!"

* * *

**oOo**

Little did Blake know that the pull he did had affected Loki a lot. While Loki was conversing with the rest of the Avengers about Tom's unusual behavior, he suddenly felt a pull from his magic again.

He gripped the leather on his pants as he tried to stay as calm as possible. This was not the time to show weakness or any form of vulnerability. Now was not the time to do that, he was suppose to get the _favor _of the Avengers on his side, to defeat _Thanos _in his own way.

He didn't need pity.

"Tom is fine." Loki hears Chris say. "We're all concerned about our own time, I have a kid that I've been missing for a while now."

"And I have two kids." Rob says. "It's not like we don't care, we just want to put something else in mind before we go there, because we know that they're safe. It's just hard to _not _think about it."

"Honest, I am fine." Tom sighed in frustration. "You don't really need to be worried about me, I'm far more worried about Loki than I am with myself."

"That's still problematic." Clint glared. "Can you see us liking the fact that you _can _be compromised?"

"We can all be compromised if we have a weak mind." Thor said irrationally.

It hurt Loki, struck him where it truly hurts. Just because he was manipulated, lied to and brought to his knees doesn't mean he was weak and nor was Tom and Clint for the fact that they've also been compromised.

_Thor may not have meant it, but the truth still lingered._

_And it hurt._

_Really bad._

"What are we going to do now that we know?" Bruce asked.

"Keep this hidden from Shield." Natasha crosses her arms. "That's all we can do and searching for Agent Blake."

"It's the ideal option for all of us." Clint agrees.

"Then we've made a decision!" Tony lifts his arms in exaggeration. "Sleep-over!"

Just as they were all about to discuss something else and go on their way to leave, Loki broke into a coughing fit which concerned everyone.

Thor had begun to frantically shake Loki, who was on the verge of crying from the intense pain that waved over him so suddenly. Then Thor was pulled by Steve to take it easy.

"Loki!" Thor shouted. "Loki, are you well?"

"D-don't-" Loki tried to push Thor away but kept coughing.

"Bruce!" Tony whined. "A little help."

"I know! I know! Let me check."

Bruce crept to Loki's side who hunched over, hair dropping to his face. His eyes scrunched tight as he had a deadly grip on Thor's arm.

Bruce tried to check but Loki quickly tried to weakly push him away.

"What do you suggest we do?" Steve said a little worried.

"I don't know what's happening to him."

"Hold on." Tom points. "The collar."

Tony noticed that it was suppressing Loki's power and then it clicked. The collar was emitting the same sparks as before and now that Tony's noticed there were thin lines of green mists seeping through the collar.

"Oh Shit!" Tony slammed his palm to his face. "I GOT IT!"

"Care to share that with us Mr. Stark?" Steve said in a hurry.

"He's at it again! Agent Blake!" Tony screamed frantically. "He's literally at it again!"

"He's trying to reach out to Loki's magic!" Rob added in shock.

And Tony couldn't help himself and answered back.

"But he can't, because the collar is blocking off power, which is why it's making Loki so uncomfortable!"

Loki snaps when he heard his name.

"M-make it-" Loki pleaded. "S-stop."

"Loki all will be well, you must stay strong."

"It... hurts."

"Can't we do anything?" Chris scrunched his face.

"Like what?" Natasha spoke up.

"Just when he woke up." Tom frowned and muttered silently. _"Why do they have to target him? After all the pain he's suffered, couldn't they just leave him alone? He's already had enough in his own lifetime. They have to keep adding more to his problems."_

"It's not like there's much we can do." Clint added. "We can't stop the connection. It's gonna be hard to take it off. There should be an off switch to it, we just need to find it out."

"My brother's magic is limited because of the collar. It needs to be taken off."

"Can't do that." Tony shook his head.

"Why can't we take the collar off?" Steve said. "It'll help Loki-"

"We can't!" Tony piped in. "That's the _point_, we just _can't_."

"Not even for a little while?" Thor growled. "My friends, my brother is-"

Loki's breathing began to hitch.

"Tony says he can't because there's an activation and deactivation to it." Bruce said, trying to get Loki to straighten up. "It's gonna take a while and it won't just stop."

"Besides the pain is from the pull of his magic." Clint frowned. "Not the collar itself."

"But the collar _is_ the one making things far more uncomfortable for him." Thor said, trying to pry the collar off but Loki weakly shoved Thor's hand out of the way.

"S-stop... j-just..."

Loki's grip began to loosen, the others stared, they weren't sure what they were suppose to do. They just couldn't take the collar off because it was a _repercussion_, a safety for all of them.

If they were to take it off, they wouldn't know what to do, if Loki reaches back to the power he once had before all of this happened.

Loki was strong, even at a weakened state he could still kill someone.

Loki convulsed. almost choking and went limp in Thor's arms. Cutting the conversation short, everyone was panicking but at least they finally got what they needed and they were in deep trouble.

"Shit." Tony palmed his face. "I didn't expect that."

So far, the Avengers were in favor of keeping Loki in bay within the tower and also monitoring the three other look-alike's especially Tom.

"Friends, I would see you in a while." Thor grimaced. "It seems that my brother is still too weak."

Just as Loki was being lifted up by Thor and headed back to their room, the others began to take their leave.

Natasha and Clint went back to the Quinjet to head back to shield and do some digging up and doing a little inside job about whatever they were planning. Steve retired to his room, a little shocked but still willing to help, telling them that he'll be there to check up on everyone later.

Tony and Bruce decided to check the collar and the possible whereabouts of Agent Blake, all while trying to push the thought of a very broken Loki out of their minds. Rob thought it was best to just retire to his room and Chris soon followed, knowing that they really won't be any help.

Tom crept to his own room, finally given the freedom to be alone.

Truth be told, _being alone, _wasn't one of the things he looked forward to.

_"I need a bathe." _Tom palmed his face. _"A long one."_

* * *

**oOo**

"What the hell was that?" Jeremiah breathed as he opened his eyes, _darkness_.

"A really big earthquake." Sharlotte muttered as she tried standing up, noticing that it had suddenly got dark.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine, just a few scratches and a dusty dress but I think I'm good. It's like doing my own stunts."

"I got you."

Sharlotte scrambled on her feet and grabbed the nearest thing she could touch and it was Jeremiah. He held her close as he tried to find a way out.

"We really need to figure out what's going on." He huffed. "I don't want to partake in this kidnapping."

"So do I."

"Okay, what are we called right now?"

"Buried alive?" She asked, hoping to joke a little.

"I don't know. Maybe. Kinda catchy too" He shrugged, pushing some of the debris.

"Where are the others?" She tried to look around the place was dark, her eyes adjusted slightly but still not enough.

"Not sure, we made a big dive to get out of the way." Jeremiah pulls Sharlotte close. "Guys! Can you hear us?"

_Silence and then a little shuffling on the other side._

"We're over here!" Evans shouted, his phone lighting the area.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jeremiah pulled out his phone and lit up the place.

"You've got to crawl to the other side." Russo shuffled to his feet as he stood behind Evans.

"Some earthquake."

"You said it."

Jeremiah lifted a piece of wood and got it out of the way, letting Sharlotte crawl to the other side and soon following her. There was a bigger access to the other side where Russo and Evans were.

They looked at the place and it seems the the entrance to the coffee shop is _blocked_.

"You guys smell something burning?" Russo asked.

"Oh god, please let it _not _be the building." Jeremiah replied.

"It _is_ the building." Sharlotte looked around.

"A few floors up, I think." Evans grunted.

"Then we all agree this is such a bad day. I don't want to die."

"None of us do, Jeremiah."

"Some day we're all having." Evans scrunched his nose. "All other electrical wiring has blown some sort of fuse. You can smell the stench working its way in here."

"The ambulance and fire department will get here soon and then we'd be out." Jeremiah piped. "This reminds me so much of that storm that made one of the trees on the front street, fall down on my house."

"I think someone has a grudge on us." Sharlotte dusted herself.

"Looks like it." Russo rubbed at his head. "Do you think this has something to do with Rob, Chris and Tom's disappearance?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Who knows maybe?" Jeremiah shrugged. "I just want to get out of this coffee shop."

"What about the others?" Evans looked around.

"Think they got out?"

Sharlotte tried to see if they could find someone, and luckily they did. There were other people trapped in there, lighting the room with their phones. The last of the Avengers tried to do their best to help out with the situation. There were a few families inside trapped with them.

Now, they really did feel like the Avengers.

The whole place didn't collapse on top of them, but the front and back entrances were completely blocked off by the debris that fell above.

Parts of the ceiling collapsed but nothing harmful came their way.

That was until Evans spoke. "Guys, I don't think we're in the coffee shop anymore."

"What do you mean not-"

Russo was cut short when he noticed the people inside the coffee shop looking at them. They weren't the people inside the shop before, they don't even recognize any of them.

"You've got to be kidding me right?"

They all frantically looked at the place and it wasn't even the coffee shop, it was that Shawarma joint that the Avengers ate in but this time, it was a total mess. They all breathed heavily, a little shocked at the discovery they found.

"Where are we?" Evans wondered.

"I don't understand." Sharlotte refused to believe it. "We couldn't have-"

"I think I have an idea on where the others are." Russo whispered.

"We're totally screwed." Jeremiah huffed.

* * *

**oOo **

Tom went inside his room and locked it, with a _click _he walks over to the bed. Disregarding the buttoned up shirt, unbuttoning it one by one and took it off, throwing it on the bed. He walked into the bathroom, his upper body bare with those tight black jeans, he opened the water and filled the tub.

_"What's wrong with me?" _He opened the tap and drenched his face with water. _"Ever since he got into my mind, I can't stop thinking..."_

_"Why did it have to be me of all people?" _He asked himself.

_"I'm not a blabber mouth but still." _Tom licked his lips and made a thin line. _"Great, now I'm starting to talk to myself. What next, I'm going to grow wings or evolve into a new species?"_

He was physically fit and had a great body, to be honest, but now... it was actually affecting him.

The lack of sleep, the nightmares, the thoughts bubbling in his head, the horrific images he sees.

The _memories_ of Loki, working its way to his own.

Tom was in pretty bad shape but he was glad that nobody really noticed anymore.

Staring at his own reflection, blinking when he suddenly saw Loki's reflection in the mirror. He shook his head, closing his eyes and turning away from it.

He leaned his back to the counter and gripped it tight with his hands, staring at the tub filling itself.

_"I'm starting to lose it." _He breathed, unbuttoning his jeans.

**_"Listen to yourself, you are out of your mind."_**

Tom hears in his head, the feeling of someone breathing down your neck, leaning against your skin and all your bones and muscles freeze.

"Not out of my mind." He whispers. "Just left to my own peace of mind, if I can keep calling it that."

He payed no mind to it, disregarding whatever clothes he had left and getting inside the tub, filling it with soap to cover whatever see through there was within the water.

_"This is so relaxing." _He closed his eyes, letting his body sink in up to his mouth.

After what seems to be minutes, Tom felt himself dozing off to his own mind but then the distant echo of Loki's voice came sprawling out of nowhere, echoing in his ears.

_"You don't know what insanity is!"  
_

Insanity is such a wide spread of words.

_"Yes, I hear his voice..."  
_

Loki does, but he's strong. He could pull away from it.

_"Not to listen to it..." _

Loki can ignore it, think of something else, but Tom, he couldn't just ignore it. It was too heavy. Too real. Too frightening

_"More careful!" _

He should be careful, he should have said something before. It wasn't easy to tell anyone but he should have. It would have made things easier. But he couldn't... because if he did, what would happen then?

He's still hear it.

_"Mortal!" _

He was a mortal... a mortal who...

_"He does not know the consequences!" _

Yes.

A mortal that doesn't know the consequences of his actions. He has much to learn but this wasn't something that life could easily offer.

No, this was far more than a simple journey or an adventure. This was, the truth, a scary truth that whatever decision you make, it _truly _affects another person.

**_"Did you know, mortal?" _**_His_ voice echoed within his mind, Tom almost bolted out the tub.

He kept his eyes closed, fearing of what he could imagine to stop whatever it is that his mind is making him see. He didn't want to see the Mad Titan, speaking to him and torturing him with ideas.

_**"Distracting yourself aren't we?" **_

_"Leave me alone." _Tom says bravely.

**_"If not-"_**

_"You're trying to get inside my mind and because of you, the Avengers are very distrustful of me now. And because of you, this chaos ensued. Leave me alone." _

_**"Answering back? What happened to the coward?" **_

Tom breathed deeply, getting his head out of the water, sitting on the tub with his body hunched. He runs a hand full of water to his hair.

The drops fell to the water inside the tub.

_**plop**..._

_"Tom?"_

_**plop**..._

_"Tom are you listening?"_

_**plop!** _

_"Loki? Are you there?"_

**_BANNNGgg!_**

Tom jolts, his whole body shaken. finds himself in a very unfamiliar place, within the depths of his mind. The Darkness surrounding him, but light was there, he just didn't know where. How was that even possible?

The bathroom was gone and he was clad in clothes he'd never seen before and never worn before. They were rags, cut and open to the cold.

Tattered clothes with dirt and grime.

He looks at himself in the reflection that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he sees himself, as _Loki_.

Black hair.

_Green eyes._

_**"Oh my, it seems the longer you stay the better the connection has on you. Shame that the tesseract did that, but also a blessing."** _

"Why is it a blessing?" Tom grimaced.

Thanos sat at the other end of the darkness, on a giant golden throne. Nothing but him and his pale purple skin lit up by the floating fires that illuminated the room.

**_"Oh, because you are far more alike to my pet. More than you think."_ **

"What are you-"

Before Tom could speak further, the room lit up and he found himself on the rock pile where the Other had told Loki about _longing for pain. _Tom walked further, Thanos was gone and he felt himself shiver at the thought of being on this rock pile.

He wanders, not noticing that he had gone back to the way he looked. He sees a very familiar scene, not one that he wanted to see.

_"What do you want?" _

The Other! Tom leaned a little closer to hear and see, noticing that whatever this was, it wasn't something he would be prepared to see.

_"Master sees potential."_

_"Let me go!"_

Tom could see Loki struggling at the hands of the Chitauri as he hid himself away from them. Hiding behind a big rock and peeking through to see what was happening.

This was a _memory_.

The memory Loki was talking about earlier.

There were far too many plot holes in it, Loki may not have liked exploring on such... emotional memories.

The continuation of his story.

_"Who are you?" The Other says._

_"I am nobody, but if you must know I am someone you will not like when I get free of this. You will gravely think of trying to mess around with that which you don't even know. Now unhand me lest you want chaos to befall in this place."_

_"You speak in riddles."_

_"And you speak irrationally and very vague." Loki hissed. "Unhand me or you will see my wrath unfold."_

_"A prince, yes? A prince, abandoned and left to die, a prince no more." _

Tom watched in horror as one of the Chitauri grabbed a lock of Loki's hair and pulled, making the god his. One other kicked him at his knees, causing him to fall down. Tom was about to charge in but the wave of fear and logic prevented him from doing so.

_"If you already know who I am, why do you bother to ask?" Loki growled. _

"You're going to get yourself killed with those insults." Tom huffed as his eyes were glued at them.

_"If you are so arrogant enough to play your dirty game I am not stooping so low to join it. Now unhand me before-" _

_**"I am in dire need of someone..."** _

_"If you think I would willingly help you then you are mistaken, I-"_

**_"Who said anything about willingly helping?"_**

_"What?"_

_ Loki's eyes widened as his body froze, trembling at the deep dark voice._

_**"You did not think I would be so kind as to let you do it willingly. No. Forcefully is more the term."**_

Tom's breathing became labored, then his chest began to tighten. His eyes were unfocused and he felt as if someone was choking him.

_"So you wish to take me up and force me to obey you. No. I am not doing it. You can hand me off to your precious ugly allies but I will not help. You're the mad titan." _

**_"I see you are informed." _**

_"Well enough to avoid you." Loki growled and tried to shove off the other Chitauri. _

**_"I would have you begging Asgardian-" _**

_"That's where you're wrong." Loki grinned menacingly. "Oh, how wrong you are. If you think I fear you just because of your name then you are wrong about that as well. I've dealt with more pain than you could ever give."_

**_"Pain... fleeting.. unwavering..." _**

_"Let me go. Let me go... Gooo! LEEeettt mee... LEt me GO! Go! Leet! Mee! Go! let me..." _

Loki's voice began to scream into his mind as Tom felt his whole world crash on top of him, his eyes opened to see water, everywhere and he felt the heaviness, the willingness to breath.

He choked, kept choking.

He dove up from the water of the tub and coughed up as much water as he could. He trembled as he got out of the tub with a crash on the floor. His lungs longed for as much air as they could get.

_Sir. Are you alright? Shall I call the others?_

Jarvis.

"No." Tom straightened himself up on the floor. "Mmm- fine."

_Your breathing is erratic Sir. And your brain waves are on a dangerous level. _

"Jarvis, just..." Tom grabbed for a towel, wrapping it around his waist. "I'll be fine."

He was done taking a bathe.

No more.

He can't take it anymore.

He almost drowned.

_"What's wrong with me?"_

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC.**

**I honestly had writers block and I swear, this chapter just escapes me. I don't like it and I don't really hate it. I'm neutral on this, it's not one of my best chapters but I leave that to you! XD The best part was writing Tom but I don't know. I leave it to you. I'll update again soon.**

**QUESTIONS! :**

**What do you think of Tom's growing insanity? Think he'll get better or get worse?**

**What about Sharlotte, Russo, Evans and Jeremiah? Any guess about what happened to them?**

**And what do you think will happen next?**


	17. Chapter 17 - And so it begins!

**Major case of writers block, but I got out of it. And someone said this fic is getting darker? I hope not, because it really isn't, there's just this really bad-bad guy and a plot to go with it.**

* * *

**oOo  
**

The Helicarrier flew above New York, invisible to anyone looking up the sky. They have been there for as long as they should have been without being detected by namely, Tony Stark.

They've been bugging their systems for as long as they could trying to avoid any contact with Stark and the Avengers. So far, they were playing a blind eye for this one. Pretending to know nothing while everything else plays out.

So far, the security feeds they've manage to corrupt is the living room despite the lack of audio, they were still getting some information in hand.

The least they could get is the fact that the Avengers were allying themselves with Loki, or simply being blinded by his lies, which Shield will never accept. If it were up to them, they would lock Loki up but then again, they didn't want an intergalactic war with Asgard since their crowned prince Thor was here.

Also, they've manage to put two and two together, learning the fact that if the tesseract is opened, the pull of power connects to Loki's, pulling his own life reserves thus taking out his energy making him suffer more.

The collar, which locks his magic, makes it worse as the kind of shield the collar was providing is diminishing and pushing the boundaries of limitation with the magic it could hold.

Now, so far, they weren't monitoring the Avengers as they have a situation downtown that needed attending too.

A massive earthquake hit New York the other day and collapsed a few buildings, the Agents in cover were providing some information that were crucial for investigation.

"Director Fury, Sir."

One of the Agents walked up to him while holding a file. Fury, who was standing in the middle of the main room eying the skies, turned.

"Sir, since the earthquake, no _casualties_. Just a lot of fallen debris and trapped citizens. The response and rescue teams are already deployed and helping the fire fighters and ambulance. A few of our medical team is also deployed."

"Good."

Fury wasn't up to games, while turning he glared at the Agent and picked up the file that was on his hands, searching and looking for potential info.

"What's this?" He questioned.

"A spike Sir, from the tesseract we presume." He pointed at the file.

"You do know that Agent Blake has the tesseract, right?"

"Yes Sir, and it seems _connected_. We may have leads that he could be behind the opening of the said portal in New York. The scientists are still working on an explanation."

"I don't need a freaking explanation, I want the goddamn truth and proof that Agent Blake opened it!" Fury shouted, earning the eyes of the other Agents.

"Are you sure about this Sir?" Hill spoke at the side.

"We may be with the council on this but we sure as hell ain't gonna follow this shit crazy ride."

"Agent." Hill turned. "What's the status down there?"

"In Downtown New York, we got a few men who are already deployed in the area, found gamma radiation surrounding most of the collapsed buildings. Some atoms and molecules that were _rearranged_ for some reasons some of the scientists are still looking it up, Ma'am."

"And?" Fury looked up.

"We believe that some of the debris, isn't from _our _world, Sir. The data and analysis confirm that most of it comes from the world that the three counterparts came from."

"Anything interesting Agent?" Fury raised an eyebrow. "Tell me there is or so help me I will murder somebody."

"We found something that might spike your interest sir."

The Agent narrowed his eyes and Fury raised his chin, understanding the situation couldn't be told out loud, so instead Fury looked at Agent Hill, who scrambled to get out of the way and do business elsewhere. Fury turned back to the guy.

"Bring it in." Fury snapped the file shut. "I want it to our advantage."

* * *

**oOo**

It had been a full week since the earthquake and a full week since Loki's tall tale story and the little mishap to with the collar. So far, everyone has been enjoying their little peace of mind.

Natasha, Clint and Steve have been going rounds with missions and training, trying to look secretly for Agent Blake wherever they go.

The two assassins have been suspicious around the base, letting the Avengers know about Fury, the other Agents as well as the whole Helicarrier hovering above New York.

Tony and Bruce were busy making a weapon to counter the effects of the tesseract and bring back the three counterparts, also equipping the weapon with a deactivation for the tesseract itself.

It may come in handy.

And they didn't leave out Loki's little collar, they managed to debunk the bugs in it, also noticing that there was a wiring chip attached to it. Tony learned that it activates and deactivates the collar, also serving as a tracking chip. So

Tony decides to destroy the chip in the most creative way possible.

Tony Smash!

Which Bruce doesn't seem happy to have the move named after Hulk smash but this was Tony and there was no breaking Tony's antics.

It was in the middle of the afternoon and the two gods never left the room since morning.

Thor brought in food but never truly left Loki alone.

At one point, the other night, the Avengers decided to do what was right instead of having that nagging feeling at the back of your neck clawing at you, they decided to do the right thing for Thor and Loki's sake but mostly for their own.

_Selfishness. _

The Avengers, especially Tony and Bruce, didn't want that.

Continuing on...

Loki was sitting on his bed, crossed legged opposite from Thor who was also sitting crossed legged in front of him. Thor was eying Loki with determination and Loki, who didn't even seem fazed, kept touching his neck.

"Stop prodding at it, brother." Thor says annoyingly.

Loki looked up from where he sat, hand still at his neck, poking and touching.

"I am not prodding, I am checking." He confirms.

"That is not checking, you are going to injure yourself further."

"How is touching my skin, injuring me further?" Loki tilts his head as his hand brushes against the burnt skin on his neck.

"Hmm?"

"Loki, stop it." Thor frowns.

"Say what you want Thor, but I am merely checking."

"You are going to hurt yourself."

"Don't be absurd." Loki scoffs. "What would a light touch do to my injured skin?"

"It will hurt, I can see you wincing at your own touch, so don't tell me otherwise that I know not how to take care of someone. What you are doing is wrong?"

"Like I haven't heard that one before." He says, touching the wound again.

His _brother _frowns further.

"If it would ease your heart, Thor, don't look."

Loki watches Thor in amusement as his brother's distressed face came into view. Loki could almost laugh if he wanted to, but deemed against it, emotional attachments just aren't what they used to be.

"You are poking at it again, Loki, it will cause more damage."

"Oh?" Loki pokes again. "So you know my body better than I do?"

"Stop that, brother."

"You stop it." He huffs. "This conversation is getting annoying."

Thor watched his brother as Loki kept caressing the burnt skin. Little did Thor know what Loki was even thinking and it worried him so much.

The thought of Loki being injured by such a small thing was painful for him, not to mention the tortures Loki had dealt with, even though his brother hasn't spoken of it again, he knew very well that his brother hasn't told the full story yet.

He would give Loki time, yes, but again, the thought scrambles to get him. The seriousness on his brother's face was nerve-wracking and painful to watch.

Thor couldn't muster the courage to do anything else but be worried for his safety, he knew Loki didn't like being coddled and treated as a child but now...

Loki is _fragile. _

His _mind _and his _heart _is in pieces.

Thor would change that.

He wanted to mend the broken relationship that he and Loki have, to regain back what once was lost. To have those childish moments again, the moments where they care none of the world but of each other. The moments of being brothers again.

How he _longed_ for that again.

"Are you well Loki?" Thor says softly, worried about his little brother.

"I'm fine." Loki looks away saying none too quickly.

"Are you sure?" He asks again. "You've grown silent?"'

"Have I not always been silent?" Loki smirks.

"More silent than usual." Thor reacted.

Loki looks into Thor's eyes, noticing that his brother couldn't even let his gaze linger for a moment, knowing this conversation is somewhat awkward enough as it is.

Loki was kind at heart and he wished those moments back and so, he speaks, easing his brother's mind rather than causing more to their damaged relationship.

"It is just odd that I have a burn around my neck." Loki touches. "The sensation is familiar."

"Familiar how?"

"Something I have experience before." Loki mumbles. "In his hands."

"Thanos." Thor's face got serious. "I will murder him once I get the chance, for hurting you is reason enough."

"Stop it." Loki shakes his head. "It's the past and besides, this burn will fade away, the mortals did a good job of making it-"

"Are you not grateful?" Thor says unconsciously, noticing the pained look on Loki's face.

"I'm sorry Lok-"

"I _am_ glad that they decided to take the collar off, despite the fact that I am somewhat still dangerous." Loki says. "I am grateful even if I have not thanked them for it."

"You are not dangerous Loki."

"Oh, you boost my ego so much." Loki rolled his eyes.

"Your magic." Thor digressed. "Is it returning?"

"No, I can barely feel it." Loki says. "It is too distant, too _faint._"

"I am just glad that you are well and safe. We all must be careful, this Agent and Thanos, has a mind far more concerning to watch out for than any other."

Thor worriedly brings his hand to touch the burn on Loki's neck and Loki flinches, moving Thor's hand away weakly.

Not wanting to keep the touch away or near for too long, he just wanted it to stay where it was.

No offense intended.

"Being _careful_..." Loki breathed, thinking. "I _worry_ for him, Thor. I am not suppose to, but I do."

"Who?" Thor looked in confusion.

"The mortal. My counterpart." He stated. "I may not have told the others about it completely but I cannot keep it to myself anymore, I fear it will get _worse_."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you not see the changes?"

"What changes?"

"Before, he was the completely opposite of me." Loki concludes. "He laughs, smiles and enjoys life openly, now he is much the same as I am, hiding behind the truth and reality of his life."

"It concerns you." Thor remarks. "Why?"

"Why not?" Loki shrugs. "The tesseract connected them to us because we are them in another world. This _one _connects to me stronger because he understands and digs deeper into my story."

"And if he is?"

"He is _attached _to it."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying that he cannot handle it. If he is too attached, he'll see what I see and it will drive him insane, I say that you and your Avenger friends find this Agent before he uses the tesseract for his own purpose, pulling yet another stunt that happened yesterday."

"So it is like self-delusion, yes?" Thor answers.

Loki looks at Thor dumbfounded by his brothers answer and blinks to let it register in his head.

"I will not question how you know that word, Thor."

A smile tugging at Loki's lips.

"I am not dumb as you think Loki, I also read books."

"I've never seen you pick one up in the time we were in the library."

"You just do not see me." Thor strokes his hair back.

"That's reassuring." Loki slumps in defeat. "A complete understatement if you ask me."

"My friends will get a lead on this person, Loki. The connections will be broken and soon we will victor in this battle. Worry not for Thanos and this man will not get you."

Loki moves away a little.

"You don't know that, brother."

_A slip of the tongue. _

The word _brother _felt nice to say, he wanted to desperately say it again, in hopes that the feelings was true. How Loki missed the feeling of having a family again, having a brother like Thor.

He may not be perfect and he may not be blood but he is the only brother Loki has.

And he will not let that go.

"I was told that I cannot hide, nor run from this."

Loki says to Thor, whose hand raised to rest on the back of Loki's neck, hovering on his left shoulder.

Loki's tired expression wavered a little as he continued to say what happened to him and Thor, who respected his brothers words, stayed silent in fear that Loki may never speak again if he interrupts.

_If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm...  
_

"I can't lie to you anymore, Thor." Loki weakly says. "I'm tired of running."

_No barren moon... _

"I want to hurt you..." He continues. "I want to make you feel my pain, the hurt, the bitterness, the self loathing. Because you and the All-father and everyone in Asgard have hurt me but I can't do it anymore-"

_No crevice where he can not find you...  
_

"Thanos will come after me and I will die in his hands. Punished for my failure. Everywhere I go, where I am and what I do, I am always seen as a failure."

Thor looked struck at this and he only pushed his brother further into his chest as Loki continued to sob, tears falling from his eyes down to his cheeks and now...

"That's fate."

Thor just didn't know what to say.

"That is my destiny."

Speechless as he was, his touch was comfort enough for Loki.

"Nothing can change that." Loki finishes.

_ You think you know pain? _

"I will not let them hurt you again Loki." Thor said. "I may not have been a good brother and you may hate me as long as you like but nothing will separate me from protecting you. I promise that."

"What good does promises do?" Loki tightens his hold of Thor's arm.

"I've kept my promises." Thor sternly says. "I have not broken one yet, and I will not do it now."

Loki feels content with this, maybe if he just told Thor, Thanos will have no more leverage of him. He was getting tired of this, no more he says.

"I don't hate you." He began.

"W-what?" Thor blinked.

Loki closes his eyes.

"I don't hate you." He repeats and later adds. "Don't make me say it again, idiot."

_He will make you long for something as sweet as pain._

"What have they told you Loki?" Thor brings Loki up from his chest to see his brother's red puffed eyes and the tears still streaming down.

"What did they do to turn you into this?"

"Do you hate it?" Loki looks up. "What I've become?"

"You have your reasons Loki, and I'm sure you'll some day tell me and lighten the path to where the truth is, but now, just keep resting and we talk another day. You've done enough already. I would have you healthy than in shambles like this."

"I meant to trick you." He blurts.

"Have you not always?" Thor jests. "And I would always fall for it."

"This is no joke, brother. I meant what I said when I had meant to trick the rest of you, I wanted you to take pity on me by telling you of Thanos but then again, I still could not go with it. I am tired and I know that no force could defeat him I-"

"He will be stopped Loki, you have my friends protecting you and soon, they will be your friends if you give them a chance. They don't know you well enough, but they are going to."

"Stop bringing your friends into this."

"They will help protect you Loki, just as I will continue on protecting you. You are my brother, blood or not, you will always be my brother. I don't care whether you are Frost Giant or not, you are Loki."

"Loki." He whispers his own name.

"Yes, and no man will change that. We will stop Thanos and this Agent, we will bring them to their knees as brothers."

"You'll allow me that much kindness."

"I know you will fight by my side till the end brother, be it through desperate times and deeds, you and I will fight as one. Just like the past, the present and maybe even the future. We have long lives ahead of us, we will both see light together."

"So poetic. It almost makes me gag." Loki snorts, in annoyance, pulling away from Thor and wiping at his tears.

Still not sure why he broke down from a simple conversation.

"I thought you like poetry?" Thor says changing the subject.

"Other kinds of poetry, perhaps." Loki stands. "Your kind of poetry, not so much."

"Where are you going?"

"To eat, I am somewhat hungry."

"Alright, I will join you." Thor happily says. "Just know this Loki..."

Loki looks at him, hands almost trembling.

"I care not about what you've done the past few months, days or even the very year you were lost to us. I just care to see you happy and safe, being by my side alive is enough for me."

Loki couldn't suppress the smile.

Maybe this _bond _was _mending. _

Or...

It already has mend.

They just don't know it.

"I will introduce you to pop-tarts, brother!" Thor jumps from the bed and dashes with Loki in tow. "You will enjoy it immensely just as a I do!"

"You've already introduced me to pop-tarts!"

"Then I will introduce you again!"

Maybe this wasn't half bad, maybe this was something Loki always needed. Someone to _support _and _love _him. Isn't that what he always wanted? To be cared and loved? Here he is now, safe in his brothers and friends arms.

He was _safe_.

All moments of _pain _forgotten.

The plan Loki was so desperately trying to play out has finally faded, now, he just has to play it his own way, in the most natural way possible. Something he would finally enjoy.

* * *

**oOo **

**Another week has passed.**

Bruce and Tony were down in the lab while Natasha and Clint were sparring with each other while Steve was busy reading on modern technology in his room.

Thor and Loki were eating pop-tarts in the kitchen just as Tom, Chris and Rob were in the living room watching Tv. The other Avengers were on their own respective floors.

The weeks have gone by quick, from Loki's decent and army attacking earth, to the counterparts arrival, to complications and more jaw-dropping statements tossed around here and there and a new possible bad guy that wants to rip the hell out of them all.

Tom's little mishap was never mentioned, he went about the day trying to get back to his old self again. He was glad that once that mishap happened, none followed. The voices have stopped and his world seemed to be turning a bright shade of blue and sunny skies.

Now, he was just happy to enjoy the freedom of it.

Loki on the other hand, Tom wasn't sure about, the bond between brothers seem to be mending and Tom and Chris couldn't help but go all nerd on it. Talking about the possible _redemption _Loki was suppose to get in the next Thor movie.

Who knows, maybe because that didn't play out here...

It plays out quicker and deeper and mostly right in the _now _part of life. So they didn't try to bother the two brothers working their way to mend that broken relationship as brothers.

_Now... _

_The three just wanted to enjoy their time here._

"How long are we suppose to stay here?" Tom whined.

_Or Not._

"I never took your for whining before." Chris laughed. "It's only been a few weeks."

"Few weeks is an understatement, Chris. One should never be this bored and we have yet to see the world outside this tower."

"No pain, no gain." Rob huffs while reading the news paper.

"I'm wounded by those words, Rob."

"Come on Tom, we've gone outside the balcony."

"That isn't enough Chris, I feel like a little lab rat waiting to get poked at. One should always have something to do, I worry about press conferences and movie takes, screen shots and family-"

"Don't we all?" Rob smirks, still reading.

"You've been going at that news paper since last week." Tom moved closer to Rob, to see. "Don't you get tired of reading it.

"I second that statement." Chris said as Tom laughed.

"I'm still puzzled about that little earthquake a couple of weeks ago." Rob says. "Look at this."

He showed them a picture of the collapsed building and people rescuing the other, a few pictures of the trapped victims as well, one in particular who gave a very interesting review that spiked many of the people's interest. So far, Rob was just boggled by it and was hoping that the Avengers would too.

"How so?" Tom preened. "We've all read the paper, there were trapped civilians."

"Yeah I know, but that's not what irks me."

"What is it that irks you, oh god father of the Avengers?" Chris jokes, getting a half nudge on the ribs by Tom.

"The fact that a few witnesses claim to have seen the other Avengers trapped in one of the buildings." Rob says. "I've been reading it again and again but-"

"You haven't told the others yet, have you?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "Oh god, do you think they're here?"

"We can't make that assumption yet, sweetie."

Tom pouts at the nick name.

"Yeah Tom." Chris agreed. "And if they are, wouldn't Shield be poking at the Avengers for that info?"

"True." Tom shrugged. "But one can hope to see their other friends, Right?"

"Well, the Avengers haven't looked at it yet, probably because they don't think it's important." Rob narrowed his eyes. "But I think Tony did check the paper and may have deducted a few things but I don't know, it could just be die hard fans."

"Perhaps. Though being die hard fans seeing hallucinations of your favorite hero is one thing. Seeing them after the building has collapsed is another. I say it's play by play with that intellectual qualification thing- don't you?"

"Glad to see you're returning to your humor." Chris chuckled, giving him a Cheshire grin.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about." Tom played. _"Nothing to worry about **that** much." _

They all flinched when they heard pots and pans dropping to the floor and a lot of shuffling in the kitchen. They could also here hissing sounds, which they assumed is Loki telling Thor off. They weren't sure, but the pots and pans continue to fall.

"You're making it worse!" Loki shouted from the kitchen.

"I am only trying to help!" Thor shouted back. "I did not mean for it to fall."

"You didn't mean to- just Thor- wait! Don't pick it all up!"

"It would make it easier and faster. And you call yourself the smart one."

"It doesn't work that way and it's because I have a brain."

Before they knew it, they heard all the pots and pans fall again and a quiet slap was heard. They could all imagine Thor picking up the pieces all together, missing one and letting the others fall with it and Loki slamming his palm to his face in defeat.

"Oh boy." Rob shakes his head.

* * *

**oOo **

Later that night, the alarms sounded.

The room burning bright red and the alarms roared.

Natasha and Clint were the first to wake, dashing outside towards the living room, ready with their battle clothes and weapons. Steve was next, who got into the suit faster than before, followed by Tony who dashed in his normal clothes. Bruce followed next, his normal clothes on, while Thor was left in the dust.

Tom, Chris and Rob had gathered there as well, despite the fact they were in their night clothes. Everyone had gathered in the living room with Fury on the screen. All of them except for Tom, Chris and Rob, were in battle suit.

They noticed one team member missing and it was Thor.

"Holy shit." Tony frowned. "You all look like a mess."

"Alright listen up-" Fury began, ignoring Tony.

"Wait! Wait! HOLD UP!" Tony shouted and motioned. "Thor isn't here yet."

"Forget about that." Fury growled through the screen. "I need you all to listen! You can inform the goddamn thunder god later!"

In the background, they could see Agents scrambling about the computers and Agent Hill shouting commands at them. Basically, in the middle of the night, the whole Shield Helicarrier was a total mess.

They saw something in the corner of the screen which seemed like smoke but they were all too busy looking at a fuming Fury on the screen to notice further.

"The Helicarrier was spiked this afternoon, we all thought we could control the situation but it's getting worse by the hour-"

"Shield has no shortage of enemies." Clint breathed earning a nudge from Natasha.

"Shut up."

"We've been double crossed and as much as I frickin' knew it," Fury continued. "Shit has gone down because of the Council. It's Agent Blake, the one person who's behind all this cross reality mix up!"

"I knew it." Natasha stated.

"You've kept it from us for weeks now." Clint mentioned. "Nat and I have been digging, in case you didn't know."

"I'll talk with you two later!" Fury pointed. "I need you at the Helicarrier right now. The council made a deal with Agent Blake about the protection of the earth regarding Loki and shit and I know as hell that he's there in your tower."

"We're screwed." Tony face palmed.

Tom turned to Chris and Rob in concern, turning back to the screen in the living room.

"And because of a certain deal that we couldn't give as of late, he double crossed us and used a main targeting system ripped off from Jarvis' hacking program. It bugged the computers but we're still able to hold the base up in the sky."

"You want me to help fix it."

"I sure as hell want you to get helping, asap!" Fury said. "Shield may not be in contact with the rest of you for weeks now, all because we want to see how Loki acts up and I want the full story once shit gets done."

"And you never mentioned it to us, Sir." Steve said in concern. "We did question the lack of communication."

"And the fact why Shield has been so quiet." Bruce said.

"We made deductions of our own." Clint said.

"I know as hell that you two Agents-" Fury pointed at the assassins. "Have been acting suspicious for the past weeks, though I may not be addressing it then because I have shit to do, it still didn't get pass us."

"What about the document?" Natasha narrowed her eyes.

"The document we found wasn't tracked for disappearing." Clint said. "And it could only mean one thing when it comes to Shield standards-"

"The document you had about Agent Blake was made intentional to fall in your hands, Captain." Fury glared. "You two assassins aren't easy to fool. Well done."

"No wonder it was that easy." Steve muttered.

"You owe me five." Clint whispered to Natasha, earning a punch on the shoulder and a five dollar bill roughly shoved down his shirt.

"I hope you got the information handed to your asses Agents, to you too Stark." Fury growled. "Because I need the information regarding this Agent."

"Which is why Agent Barton and I have done our own fair share of snooping." Natasha countered. "Which we'll talk about later."

"So you know that Loki has been in our custody?" Bruce wondered.

"I'll explain the whole situation when you get your asses up here!" Fury boomed as one of the computers behind him exploded.

"And bring your damn look-alike's on board, they may need to see what we have here in the base. Hurry the hell up of there may be no more base!"

Fury shut down the power and before anyone could utter a word, Thor was barreling down the hallway with Mjolnir in his hands as he wore the full battle armor.

His face was in distress, his whole body rigid and a pained expression showed.

"Thor are you alright buddy?" Tony raised his hands.

"What's wrong Thor?" Natasha asked.

"Thor, are you-" But Steve was cut off.

"Where is my brother?" Thor shouted hoarsely.

Everyone looked at each other, they _didn't _have an answer to that.

"Where is Loki?!" Thor shouted in distress. "WHERE IS HE?!"

* * *

**oOo**

**TBC...**

**And here it finally comes, after much thought and painful thinking, this chapter has finally reached it's awesomeness! My writers block has been destroyed. **

**Anyways, Thank you to all that happily reviewed, liked, favorited, Alerted, bookmarked and etc. Thank you so much.**

**The end is almost near, only a few chapters left... but I'm not saying good bye yet. Oh and don't worry, I have the next chapter already planned out. ;)  
**

**So please, review and tell me what you think. Thank you.**


	18. Chapter 18 - My sweet Pet

**We are almost nearing the end for this fic, thank you for supporting me guys, and for all that reviewed. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I have put my soul into it.**

**~(T^T)~ **

**I don't know why but, this chapter is just too much... **

* * *

**oOo**

Jeremiah, Evans, Sharlotte and Russo were sitting together in a room, it was equipped with all the necessary furniture needed in a living room, on the other side there was a provided kitchen and a fridge that was never empty.

At first they didn't think that any of this was real but when they were picked up two weeks ago by one black shield car, it had turned into another kind of story.

They didn't know where they were being taken and all those Agents with glasses didn't dare answer their pleads and questions.

They were checked at by some medics and brought to one of the quinjets.

Jeremiah thought it was awesome and so did the others but then again, they just couldn't believe what was happening. They've been brought to the Helicarrier, which was confusing but at the same time extravagant to see.

They began questioning each others sanity, on whether this was a dream or not, but no, it wasn't. During that week, it was full on discovery for them. They answered most of Fury's questions and they got answers back in return, which they didn't have to look for anymore.

They were briefed in on a full report from one of the Agents.

So far, they know that Loki was with the Avengers and so have their three friends. The satisfaction on their faces wasn't hard to miss but now their only question was, _how were they going to get home? _

Of course, Fury said that once the tesseract was taken care of, then they would be able to get home.

Now, they got frightened when Shield Agents started running down the hall with weapons, a few guarding their door.

They were informed of a breach in security and they were calling for the Avengers for help, which meant their reunion was finally coming. One of the Shield Agents outside entered the room and told them to follow him down in the main room and to wait for the Avengers there.

They were quick to agree.

**oOo**

The others were contemplating on how Loki was lost to them, the security camera in Thor and Loki's room were heavily blocked.

Tony was trying his best to hack into it while Clint flew the quinjet and Natasha backed him up with the other controls. Bruce and Steve were trying their hardest to calm Thor down while the other three, Tom, Chris and Rob, were busy staying silent in the other corner.

"This doesn't even make sense!" Tony whined.

So far he's been trying to hack into the security cameras in his own house but no such luck. And in panic, the only thing he brought was his Iron man suit and his phone, which he was using to try to hack into data's and data's of info in his tower.

"They seem troubled." Tom frowns, as he palms his face.

"It's bad, they've got Loki." Chris pats his back. "Not to mention the fact that they got the upper hand."

"Way to say it buddy." Rob smirks. "We're gonna see first hand what the Avengers are really like."

"Call it first hand experience when we get back?" Tom's devious look went into play.

"I like that kind of thinking." Rob winks.

"Two mischief makers." Chris snorts. "How awesome is that?"

"Let's just hope this doesn't end as badly as we think." Tom sighs. "I hope they'll win this battle and we get on with our lives. But I doubt things will look out well soon enough."

"Yeah, Tony seems pissed." Rob bites his lips and points. "See that there, that's stress."

"I can see it." Chris nods.

"At least we're not the ones doing the fighting." Tom points out.

"Agreed." Rob and Chris said together.

While the three were busy with their own conversation, the Avengers were busy doing their own fair share of work and serious business.

Thor, on the other hand, still wasn't doing any well, just when he and his brother were already getting along, fate just ripped him and Loki apart. The bond was mending, but now, fate just has the upper hand, cutting those ties again.

"Nothing makes sense!" Tony screamed. "Shit! Damn! Mother of- Arghh!"

"Nothing does." Clint huffed. "You don't look like you've gotten any progress. Have you tried everything?"

"Still can't hack into it. System's busted." Tony said as he almost threw his phone. "It's like a fire wall, its blocking me with a different kind of science and math. Like, whatever this blocker is, it isn't from this world."

"What do you mean not from this world?" Steve raised an eyebrow. "Aliens? Magic?"

"Dunno, it's nothing I've encountered before." Tony pouts. "It's just, I can't go around it, like energy, it's pushing me out when I'm this close!"

He motioned with his fingers.

"What do you need?" Natasha punched controls. "We're almost at the Helicarrier. Tell me and we'll get right to it when we land."

"I need more fire power, I've hacked into Shield though." Tony grins. "Cool, right?"

"What did you get?" Natasha wondered.

"A lot of things."

"Like what?" Steve questioned.

"Did you find Loki?" Thor raised his head in hope.

"No. Sorry buddy." Tony shakes his head. "But I've manage to get Shield's systems back online, I think Fury knows I was the one who did that. They know we're close enough to land."

"That's good, I don't want a cargo check or protocols being overridden on my quinjet." Clint sighs, a little possessive. "Nice job, Stark."

"Anything else?" Bruce pinched his nose.

"Once I get some real power and access to Shield computer, I'll be able to track who bugged the systems and we'll be able to head on over there and kick ass."

"Good to know." Clint smiles. "I'm ready for some ass kicking adventure."

"Thought you'd like that." Tony smiles in return.

"What about my brother?" Thor asks in concern. "We have yet to find where he has gone!"

"Do you guys think it's somewhat fishy?" Bruce arched an eyebrow at them, earning stares. "Think about it."

"What are you trying to say Dr. Banner?" Clint turns the quinjet, almost ready to land. "You're saying that Loki's disappearance was too much of a coincidence?"

"I'm saying, it's all timed perfectly." Bruce says.

"I don't follow." Thor blinks.

"Think about it, Loki's gone, Thor, you didn't notice and we were all sleeping, tired and exhausted and we've been laid back for weeks now. Not much to do, and we were only waiting and recovering. Then this happens in the middle of the night."

"So we've been targeted at the right time?" Steve blinked, a little confused. "Or wrong time?"

"Right time for him, Agent Blake, and wrong moment for us, Cap." Tony piped. "We'll see what went down in my tower once we get to Shield."

"Yeah, besides..." Natasha glares. "Fury's got us a present."

"I hope it's for us." Clint says unenthusiastically.

* * *

**oOo **

Once they landed they quickly walked to towards the main room, where they were greeted by several armed Shield Agents but paid no attention to them.

Once they reached the main room, they were greeted by familiar faces, _really _familiar faces. It made them stop dead at their tracks in the entrance.

Tom, Chris and Rob kept walking, and their eyes widened at what they found.

"This is amazing." Russo breathed.

"Well, I'll be damned." Jeremiah grins, standing up from his seat. "The _missing_ trio."

"This is awesome!" Evans laughed. "You've been living with them, the Avengers, for a while now. And you're still alive."

"Guys, you're here!" Tom smiled, running for a hug. "I _knew_ it!"

"Heeey!" Chris chuckled.

"The trapped Avengers in the building." Rob thinks, voicing it out. "Huh, that was you guys."

"You're alive!" Sharlotte grinned, walking towards them. "We were all worried."

She hugged the first person she saw, and it was Tom, who hugged back.

"It's good to see you." He says while Jeremiah, Russo and Rob clasped hands together.

Missing the feeling of being together as friends again, while Chris and Evans had one of their bro moments, hugging manly with their huge bodies.

"If this is the present Fury's talking about, I want out." Clint whispers to Natasha. "Or at least a return."

"The present isn't really for us, Clint."

"Typical." He shrugs. "I was hoping it was something useful."

"We can't always get what we want."

"Ohoho, Captain my Captain." Tony jokes and points at Evans. "Look at your other self, well in the modern, unlike someone who's still stuck in the past."

"Drop it, Tony." Steve pouts walking forward. "I thought they were back in their world."

"More problems for us." Bruce shrugs.

"They should not be here." Thor grumbles, moving out-of-the-way. "They are a danger to this world as much as they are put in danger by others."

"Exactly, don't worry Thor, we'll get Loki back and send them home."

"I hope so, Dr. Banner." Thor looks at him as he nods, taking a seat. "I hope so."

"Didn't know there was a mirror around here." Tony coughs to get their attention. "Daddy Fury's gonna brief us, anyways, can I use your computer?"

"Enough." Fury shouts. "We got work to do."

Tony felt ignored.

Fury walked towards them, the lights dimmed, the window of the Helicarrier shadowed and projected a big screen for all of them to see. The Shield logo working its way in the middle like a desktop background.

The rest of the Agents were manning the controls of the Helicarrier.

"Nice job on getting us back online, Stark." Fury nods at him.

"You are most welcome." He flashes Fury a toothy grin.

"If you would all take a seat, there's enough for everyone." Fury says, crossing his arms. "The little reunion can wait. We got a lot to talk about."

"Uh, before we start, can I use the computer?" Tony raised his hand. "Pretty please?"

Everyone was silent, some groaned at Tony's antics.

"What? It's important! I need to track Blake down, get information on who's blocking the cameras in my tower and, other stuff!"

Fury rolled his eyes and motioned his hand for him to go on.

Tony grinned, like a little kid, he began pressing all sorts of things on the table.

Holograms and codes appeared as he began hacking his way into his own house as well as tracking the Agent's whereabouts and the virus placed in Shield.

"Stark, you better listen to what I have to say." Fury spoke, pointing at the screen. "We don't have much time."

"Yeah sure, brief us. We're all ears."

"You must be wondering why you're other selves are here." Fury glares, the others nod. "Look at the screen."

The screen showed pictures of a collapsed building, on the right side, readings of an earthquake and the connection between the tesseract and the energy used. On the bottom, small bits of the news papers were padded to the side.

Jeremiah whistles. "They really are Shield."

"We've been living with them for two weeks, I'm surprised that you're still surprised." Sharlotte giggles. "Hmm? What? It's true."

"What can I say, it's just too cool."

Natasha and Clint blink at the two, they were closer and more open, showed more emotion and what not but they weren't going to focus on that.

Their eyes were glued to the screen.

"As you can see, two weeks ago we found a connection of the tesseract, somewhere downtown, opening a portal not long ago. We've manage to avert prying eyes, changing the story to just a mere earthquake. Where in fact, it actually left these guys open in the dust."

"Which explains the news papers." Rob supplied.

"Exactly, we brought them in for questioning and they've been cooperative with us. Agent Hill and I took the liberty of hiding them from the council as well as from Agent Blake."

He kept going.

"The Council made a deal with Blake, stating that they get a 50/50 on the deal, which was saying something. The council hates the Avengers initiative and so left it at his hands. He double crossed us a few hours ago."

"What was the deal anyway?" Natasha raised her chin.

"50 percent protection, 50 percent damage, that sort of thing Agent. He has the tesseract, we give him Loki as a source of power and he'll return the counterparts where they belong and once that's done, he just needed to get a few ounces of data and he'll give the tesseract back."

"You know very well that's a lie!" Thor shouts. "My brother was forced into this war! He committed no crimes on his own."

"We've proved it Sir." Steve stated.

"How?"

"Loki wasn't the one behind this." He explained. "We fully confirm that the guy had nothing to do with it, sure he may have been the reason behind the destruction, but there was someone else."

"I know, these guys-" Fury pointed at the counterparts huddled together. "They told us everything they knew about Thanos and shit."

"Then why didn't you contact us?" Natasha raised an eyebrow. "It would have been easier with you and Shield on our side, instead of hiding and playing."

"That is exactly why I gave you a few weeks off and out of my back, otherwise, if I didn't, the guy Blake wouldn't have believed me. I was delaying the guy just enough to inform you or see if you have a lock on him."

"That didn't work though." Clint crossed his arms. "Did it?"

"No, he wanted to get his hands on Loki faster than we could provide a distraction." Fury glares. "Which is why he double crossed us. Speaking of which, where is _he?_ That crazy god."

"He is not crazy." Thor argues.

"You got to admit point break." Tony points at his head, using a circling motion with his fingers. "Your brother is somewhat, cuckoo."

"Which he meant to say was-" Clint sighs. "Loki isn't exactly sane, nor insane."

"He's in the middle." Natasha adds. "Balancing between his sanity and redemption, or whatever you want to call it."

"I asked a perfectly sane question." Fury repeats. "Where is he?"

"They took my brother." Thor frowns. "I know not where he is."

"That's bad." Fury says deadpan. "Are you tracking him Stark?"

"Almost." Tony t'sked. "Kinda. Work with me here, just a sec."

"You better be." Fury shows them other things on the screen about Blake. "As you can see, He was a scientist for Shield in the earlier years, one of the best yet wasn't known for his works. His name was Ronald T. Edixon."

He continued.

"He aided in countless experiments yet he wasn't praised for any of them. The people despised him for his bad habits of copying designs and making mockery ones in replacement."

"He looks completely different from Blake." Steve blinked.

"That's easy to pull off." Natasha scoffs. "What else, Director?"

"The file says everything, I assume you've read it all."

The Avengers nod at him, the counterparts however were slightly confused so the other three who lived with the Avengers, silently explained it to them.

"What do you think his play is?" Fury wonders.

"I think I've figured it out." Clint answers.

"Care to share Agent Barton?"

"I'm not sure but if he uses Loki as a power source and Blake is in league with Thanos, I think he's planning to get the big guy here. Or at least deliver Loki to the big guy. Not sure which one."

"We have to stop them, then."

"What about us?" Evans cried. "I mean, yeah you're all superheroes, but we have a home to get back to."

"The guy is right." Rob nods.

"I'm with them." Jeremiah wonders. "How are we going to get home? We're not exactly fighting material. No offense."

"You're not going to put us in the battle field are you?" Sharlotte asks. "Because we'd be useless."

Natasha and Clint both exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

_Amateurs. _

Fury explained to them that they'll be staying far away from the fight as possible, but will be ready to return home once the damage was dealt with.

"Guys, I think we have an incoming message."

"What's it about?" Clint jokes. "Your girlfriend."

"If this was Pepper, I wouldn't be informing you bird brain." Tony sighs. "I think they sent me one of the video feeds of my towers camera."

"Put it on, Stark."

Tony frowns at Fury, using his hand to throw one of the holograms on the screen.

It seemed to be a video, of Thor and Loki sleeping together in their room. It was dated a few hours ago, they watched intently as the timer was being fast forwarded to one of the points where it was about to get interesting.

"Who sent it?" Fury asked.

"Unknown." Tony bites his lips. "I'm having jarvis track the signals, should almost be done."

Tony couldn't hold his tongue.

"I get the fact their egging me on, cause I couldn't even hack my own system with their video-blocker, but-" Tony says again. "Why are they sending me a video of this?"

"There should be something important." Natasha says.

"We have to keep a look out." Steve nods.

_They were all watching the screen, watching Loki twist and turn under the covers while Thor slept away. _

Thor, felt somewhat guilty, for not noticing his brother's distress and only then had he noticed the video stopped forwarding and was playing normally.

_Loki had gotten up, or more like bolting in his sleep, sweat trickling down his forehead and back of his neck, his breathing labored and his body trembling._

_He encircled his arm around him as his body shook. He was sobbing silently, head bowed, body hunched forward. Waking from his plagued dreams and horrid slumber._

"_Lea-leave me alone." Loki whispered harshly. "No more, no more. Ma-make it st-stop."_

_He began clawing at his hair, his body visibly slumped forward in defeat as he kept whispering, muttering and trembling. Thor still stayed fast asleep, uncaring to the world, like he was trapped in his dreams._

_"Stop it, leave me alone. Let me- let me rest, please."_

"Who's he talking to?" Clint squinted to get a better look.

"Must be in his head." Tom mutters, sadly, looking away from the screen.

_They watch as Loki quickly got up, throwing the covers away from him as he stumbled to the bathroom. In the darkness, clawing his way around, finally reaching it, he opened it, shakingly. Then He slammed the door shut and the camera was changed to the camera of the bathroom._

_ Loki slumped to the sink, breathing still erratic as he started coughing his lungs out.  
_

"Loki. Brother." Thor frowns. "What is wrong with my brother?"

"I think he's showing signs of having a nightmare." Steve says.

"Pointing the obvious." Tony rolls his eyes.

"Is he having a nervous breakdown?" Clint asks again. "Or is this normal."

"Nay, friend. It is not. My brother rarely gets sick, but this is not the first he has woken in his slumber. Many a nights has he woken, and I was there to help him. It happened so within these two midgardian weeks."

"PTSD." Tony mutters and shrugs, not really sure.

"Why didn't you wake up?" Natasha asks.

"I do not know, usually I would be awake the moment he is startled, I am not that a heavy sleeper, believe me Agent Romanov." Thor averts his gaze back to the screen. "I know not why this is happening."

"Keep watching guys." Bruce watches, as does everyone else.

Tom who was watching as well, couldn't help but flinch when the voice sounded through his ears. It felt like it was piercing his very skin, his heart pounding and his body tense. He just couldn't believe it, he felt his breathing stop.

"_**Lokkiiiii-"**_ _A voice says playfully, deep and dark. **"My sweet, pet."**  
_

_"No, no, no..." Loki cries. "Please just leave me alone. I'm not your pet." _

_**"The young forgotten prince, the king to be, the failure, traitor, pet, trickster and liar!"**_

"He sure knows how to boost your ego." Tony sadly says.

Tom closed his eyes, placing a hand to his temples, tuning out the voice. Everyone noticed it, but they didn't want to act on it just yet, instead, Chris, Tom's friend leans to him further and quietly asks. Tom looks at him, eyes tired and heavy.

"Tom, you alright?" Chris asks, and soon everyone looks at him.

"You." Thor angrily points. "My brother told me he worries for you. You know of this voice, yes?"

Tom nods, not wanting to anger the god further.

"Tell me! You've spoken to it as well."

"Yes." He spits out. "Yes I have. It was there for a while, but I've gotten used to ignoring it."

"You better damn be sure you're not compromised." Clint says. "If you are I'm shooting you."

"Nobody is shooting anyone." Jeremiah says. "Now, can we get back to watching."

_Loki raises his head and turns around, he looks, his breathing worse and his eyes unfocused. The voice started laughing at his pitiful state and Loki couldn't bare it anymore. _

_He backed away from the sink, letting his body hit the door, he closed his eyes, hugged his body and sunk to his feet, hugging his knees. _

"_Leave me alone." He pleaded. "Not again."_

**_"Not again, you will keep hearing me young one!"_**_It voiced. **"Listen to me and listen well."**_

"That voice." Thor grits his teeth. "It brings my brother insanity! It is provoking him!"

"Calm down Thor." Fury glares at the screen.

"_What!? What do you want?" Loki asks weakly. "Why are you bothering me?"_

"_**Listen to yourself speaking, pet! You cannot even stand up to me!" **The voice mocked. **"You are weak!" **_

"_Stop it." Loki shuts his ears. "No more, no more."_

"_**Pain, pet. We need not discuss this again Do you want to discuss this again?"**_

"_No.. no.." Loki said it like a mantra. "Not again, not again. No. Don't, I'll listen, please just don't... No more..."_

"Hold on, how can we hear this?" Steve wondered. "If it's in his head."

"Maybe it wasn't." Tony said. "If it was sent to us, it must have been done on purpose. Thor?"

"I have heard distant whispers, I am not sure." Thor mumbles. "The voice, I have heard so before, I think- I know not-"

"It's Thanos." Tom says. "His voice."

"Yeah, it's definitely him." Evans agrees. "The guy is nuts."

"Couldn't agree more." Jeremiah and the rest nod.

"_**You betrayed me, Jotun runt! Weakling. Pathetic pet!" **The voice screamed at him. **"Traitor! Listen closely!"**_

"_I didn't- I-" Loki looked at the ceiling._

"_**Once a liar, always a liar. When I find you pet, I will harm the people you care about! You think you can hide behind your brother! The Asgardian, pathetic son of Odin! All-father! You and he will perish!"**_

"_You can't hurt him!" Loki growls. "You are only in my head, you have no strength, no power over me! What makes you think I will betray my brother again-" _

"_**You have done so before, you will do so again." **_

"_No. Not this time. Whatever you are making that human pawn of yourself do, it will not work. You will fail!" _

"_**That is high talk you are doing."**_

"This is painful to watch." Thor breathes, hands trembling, watching his brother.

"How can you not wake up from the shouting he's doing?" Tony jumps from his seat. "I mean seriously."

"I do not know, Stark. I do not know."

"_**Listen to me well, Loki, my beautiful pet." **_

_Loki raises his head, lips quivering. _

_Fear riddling his whole body, the word beautiful made him flinch. What more tortures could Thanos do? What more horrid illusions could he face? The degradation he could suffer from? _

_**"If you do not follow, I will show you more pain than what I have done before. I will include the Odinson, if you fail me again!" **_

"_I refuse-" _

"_**Betray me again..." **_

_Loki crumpled forward in jolt of pain, silently screaming, memories flooding his mind as he clutched his forehead, coughing violently and shaking. He bolts out of the bathroom and the camera goes back to Thor in the room._

_Loki tripped on the floor as the bathroom door opened, he watched his brother's sleeping form. Loki's eyes widened when he saw a figure looming at Thor's side. _

_The Other. _

"HOLY SHIT!" Tony points. "Paranormal Activity!"

"Is that?" Clint's eyes widened. "Oh god, they're here?"

"An Illusion!" Thor hisses. "It is but an illusion! They are tricking my brother, I was never in any harm! He shouldn't believe it! He couldn't-"

"_Don't please!" Loki begged, tears in his eyes. "Don't hurt him." _

"_**Come with us, pet. Return to your master. I will not harm him, not if you follow, only you will be harmed. Pet..." **_

"_Lies..." Loki stood up, shaking._

"_**Don't disappoint me, Loki!" **Thanos chuckled darkly. **"I will kill you the moment I find you, if you betray me again." **_

"_I'm sorry, Thor." Loki's tears dropped. "So sorry."  
_

_The screen fuzzed, the image of Thanos's eyes and menacing grin appeared on the screen briefly as the screen flickered on and off, static everywhere, the next thing they knew, Loki was gone. _

_And the screen went black.  
_

"How did that happen?" Bruce asked. "He willingly went?"

"He didn't want Thor to get involved." Natasha said. "But I doubt that's all the video showed us. It was lacking something, Loki couldn't have gone that easily."

"The nightmare!" Tony points. "What Thanos said about discussing it again!"

"That could be it too." Steve nods. "They must have spoken before, Loki isn't one to back away that easily, right Thor?"

"Aye." Thor frowned. "I wish I could have woken."

"You must have been drugged." Clint shrugged. "I dunno, maybe you were put to sleep, accidentally, by Loki, or something."

"Have you tracked it Stark?" Fury asked.

"Nope, it's heavily decoded! I don't know! I still can't track it... Guys!" Tony raised his hand. "I managed to hack back into my tower! Here's the video feed. Wait just, I haven't tracked it but- I got this instead- yeah!"

_A few hours before Loki had gone, the video showed Thor had gone to bed minutes later, falling asleep. Loki, who fell asleep next to him, woke an hour later, thrashing and was about ready to wake up, but Loki hushed him to sleep.  
_

_"Loki, are you well?" Thor yawned, still asleep._

_"I'm fine, go back to sleep." Loki mutters._

_Thor continued to snore as Loki watched his brother sleep. He raised his hand, placing it on Thor's forehead. He had a worried look on his face, he used some of his magic, draining him again, putting pain in his body, slumping forward, he muttered a sleeping spell._

_Putting Thor to sleep, so he wouldn't wake from Loki's nightmares._

"_Sleep well and worry not." _

_He whispers as he went back to sleep, next to his brother, later being plagued by another nightmare._

At the same time, Tony closed the video.

"Well that probably answers that!" He says. "Little bro thought it wise not to worry you, putting you to sleep and this damn thing happens and he's gone bye-bye!"

"Stark, I want you to track where the signal came from." Fury points to the counterparts. "You, I want you to stay here!"

"What about us?" Steve asked.

"You're in your suits, get ready, you're flying out."

"At this ungodly hour." Tony rolls his eyes.

"Director Fury!" One of the Agents caught their attention. "We have an unknown caller, we're tracking its whereabouts now, but confirmation states it's the same one who relayed the video message earlier."

"Keep tracing it." Fury turned to the screen. "Put it on."

"What's this about?" Chris asked Tom, who shrugged.

"We're about to find out."

* * *

**oOo**

The screen flickered and it revealed Agent Blake playing with the camera with a toothy grin. He was chuckling and it seemed like he was whispering to someone before, then his full attention went to the Avengers.

"_I see you received my call." _He laughed. _"Excellent!" _

"Agent Blake." Fury said deadly. "Or should I call you Ronald."

"_Digging up on my background, I see. Too late for that Director and too late on that deal. I've been a patient man, but I can only be patient for so long-" _

"WHERE IS LOKI?" Thor stands, shouting at the screen. "What did you do to my brother?"

"_Impatient are we, Thunder god, or should I say Odinson?" _Blake laughs, turning the camera. "_Is this your little brother?" _

They all gasped at what they saw.

Loki was strapped to a chair, hands and legs trapped, a tight rope tying his chest to the chair. Loki had a cloth wrapped around his eyes, preventing him from seeing, blood was smeared across his chin and neck.

His clothes were slightly burnt and his body was heavily slumping forward but the rope kept him in place. He was moaning in pain, whining and moving his wrist, but he wasn't getting out any time.

The coils on the bottom of the chair connect to the tesseract next to him.

Opposite him was the same looking stage he first appeared to when he reached earth. The tesseract, looked almost ready to be used.

Loki was breathing erratically, his head bowed and hair covered his face. His whole body was wet, he was drenched.

"What did you do to my brother?" Thor roared. "You harmed him!"

_"Not really harmed, the tesseract did that to him."_ Blake thought. _"Or, actually I had a part in it but who cares. I sure don't." _

"I will kill you." Thor glares.

"_Noted."_

He answers back. They watched as Blake circled around Loki like a hawk to its prey. He was touching Loki's injuries as well as Loki's chin and lips, trying to get a reaction from the younger one.

Loki, who painfully tried his best to move away, _couldn't._

He was_ trapped._

"_Apologies if you have to see him this way." _Blake chuckled. _"He wasn't cooperating. And when I tried the tesseract at first, it made him fall asleep, you see it was draining him so much, he couldn't handle the stress. So I had to drench him to keep him awake. It's cold water by the way. I got the idea from you, Mr. Stark."_

"You bastard." Tony clenches his fist.

"YOU MONSTER!" Thor growled, the skies outside darkened and reigned with thunder. "Let my brother go this instant! You will face the wrath of Asgard!"

Tom watched in horror and so did the other counterparts, they were at lost on what to say.

They didn't expect this to happen.

They all thought it was going to be okay, that they were about to come home, but no, it wasn't that easy.

"Someone calm him down before I shoot him!" Fury hisses, turning to the screen. "What do you want Blake?"

"_Nothing you can give me." _

Blake pulled at Loki's blindfold.

He smiles, grabbing hold of Loki's jaw and showing it to them. Blood was trickling down Loki's lips to his chin, his eyes unfocused, bags under his eyes, his left cheek was bruised and he was having a hard time breathing.

"_I already have everything I need here." _He smiled. _"But you can give me the other counterparts so I can return them home, I did make a deal." _

"I'm declining." Fury says.

"Hey, how did you manage to video-tracker-block me?" Tony wondered. "I'm a genius here, I can hack anything that comes into play, so how come?"

"_Perhaps it's because you're not playing with your element?" _

"What do you mean?"

"_You see, I have Loki..." _He touched Loki's almost limp form. _"And I made him play with your machines, block access to your cameras using his magic. He was uncooperative at first, but I managed to convince him with a little, shock. If you must know."_

"When I see you Agent," Thor said deadly. "I will rip you piece by piece."

"_Strong words for someone like yourself. Worry not, if Loki is gone, you can always replace him with his counterpart." _

"Nay!" Thor shouts. "You think me cruel! I will not do so to my brother!"

"You've had your fun, messing with us." Fury said. "Now what's your play, you have Loki, you have the tesseract, why contact us?"

"_Where is the fun in not boasting?" _He answers. _"I have only used Loki to test if the tesseract is working, soon, when he is powered enough again, I'm opening it to give him to Lord Thanos, then he'll give me the prize that I deserve." _

"False hope!" Tony pipes. "False promises! False everything! You can't honestly believe the crap that guy is telling you! He told lies to Loki before! He's gonna do the same to you!"

"_That's because the young trickster is easy to fool, I made sure the tesseract will only open from this side." _

"What do you mean?" Natasha interrogated. "What are you talking about, make it quick."

"He's playing with us." Steve said.

"We're serious, start talking or we're kicking your ass when we get there." Clint glares. "Your choice."

"_You see, if I don't receive what I want, Thanos won't get what he wants. I am making my own bargains, he wants the trickster as his pet. I can give him Loki, but he cannot enter earth, is that clear?"_

"You're saying that you can throw anyone or anything from our side to theirs but they can't throw anything at our side?" Fury confirms.

"_Exactly!" _

He squeezes Loki's shoulder, the young god winces in pain.

"_T-thor-" _He opens his eyes. _"Bro-brother-"_

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to stay calm. This guy was making Loki relive pain and he wasn't happy about that. He was trying his best to convince the _other guy _to calm down, he'll play with Blake later, once it's safe to let him out.

Hulk agrees.

"_Thor!" _Loki hoarsely shouts. _"H-help!"_

"_Ah, ah ah!" _He whispers close to Loki's ear. _"Nope, we're not going to have any of that. You need the minute rest before we can start again, you will be my ticket to victory. Do you understand that?" _

Loki groans in pain, he shifts his head away from Blake.

"If you harm my brother, I will end you where you stand!" Thor growls. "Do you hear me?"

"_Quite clear, Odinson." _Blake nods.

"_Thor..." _Loki blinks.

"Director Fury." One of the Agents said. "We've got his location. Lower Manhattan, the under ground base Shield had a few years back, Sir. Cross match of the background confirmed, he's in Sector 12. Level 15, a few hundred feet down."

"Avengers." Fury turned to them. "Suit up."

"_How did you-?" _Blake blinked, turning to one of the Agents he's working with. _"I thought you said this was a secure communication!" _

"_Sorry Sir, but the communication went down and we were hacked into- we tried blocking it- the fire-fire wall and- I'm- sorry Sir..." _

"Not so tough now, are you, Blake?" Fury mocked. "Just like old times."

"Check." Natasha smirks, like cornering a king in chess.

"Not so good being trapped now, are you?" Clint mocks.

"Surrender now." Steve stated. "We don't want any more trouble!"

"_You bastards!" _He hissed. _"You won't get me, by the time you get here, you'll see my victory! And you- I've had enough of you." _

He pulled out the gun behind him and shot the man on the forehead. The guys in the Helicarrier watched as the man went down and Loki's eyes widened, he began to struggle to get out of his restrains but Blake inched forward.

_"Thor come get me!"_ Loki shouts._ "Please Thor, don't let him-" _

Blake walks to Loki and clamps a hand to his mouth, fear was still in Loki's eyes as Blake whispered something to Loki that the Avengers couldn't hear.

Loki stopped shouting.

"Brother! Let go of him you coward!"

He ignored Thor's shouts from the communication as he gripped Loki's jaws and stared at him.

"_Listen well, you better make this worth while." _He hissed as he shoved a piece of cloth in Loki's mouth.

"_Activate code: 20-1-5-3, tesseract. Sequence locked! We're doing this, with or without your strength back!" _

The machines blared bright, the Avengers were already suited up, they stared as the tesseract acted up. Loki closed his eyes as he felt his magic being pulled by the tesseract.

He began screaming and writhing on the chair, but his shouts were muffled by the cloth, he was biting it hard as the tesseract was beginning to open.

"Jarvis, give me Loki's readings! Now!" Tony shouted. "Hurry Jarvis!"

"_Sir, his body is failing at a rapid pace, his heartbeat is too fast and the pull of magic is draining him. The more this keeps up, he will be lost forever."_

"Shit!" Tony cursed. "We have to get him out of there!"

"_Keep watching!" _Blake laughed. _"This will be the last you ever see of him."_

"_Mhhmmm! Mmmmmhh!"_

Loki struggled, the restrains on his wrist were doing harm to him as he kept struggling. His shouts were useless and to the point that it was also draining him, tears were openly falling from his eyes and his body could no longer take it.

His magic being pulled, his thoughts...

His only thoughts were a mantra to him...

_They will come, they will find me, I will be free. _

But no, it wasn't just that, his focus was Thor.

_Thor will come, Thor will find me, I will be free.  
_

Loki's eyes were dropping, he felt his heart beat slow itself. His body ceased trembling and he felt like giving up. He heard Thor's faint voice whisper to him, but it felt lost already.

He was going to die, because of this.

"LOKI!" Thor made a run for it. "We must go!"

"On it!" Tony was already in the suit. "You better follow us, guys. Thor you're coming with me."

They flew out of the Helicarrier and headed to the base. Clint, Bruce, Natasha and Steve went to the Quinjet, as they quickly flew out to head on over to Loki.

They had a young god to save.

* * *

**oOo **

**TBC...**

**Loki's injured, almost dying because of the tesseract. Oh my...**

**I feel so bad for writing this, we're nearing the end, a few more chapters, like two more? I think... and it will all be over. I'm sorry, feel free to kill me for writing this, whumpy chapter! I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoyed. **

**And, there are just too many characters, oh god! The interaction between them was quick, because they had far more important things to deal with, but no worries, the counterparts will have their own shining moments next chapter. **

**And... will the Avengers get to save Loki in time? **

**The clock is ticking...**

**Please, review and tell me what you think, _a review_, will help you save Loki! xD**


	19. Chapter 19 - You're safe

**PLEASE READ (if you have time)**

**Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed, especially to those that have supported me throughout the end. I love you all. Your reviews made my day and I just had to "post" a new chapter. **

**I have said that the "Counterparts" would have their shining moments in this chapter, I'm not sure I had that covered because at the last second, I deemed against it, because our main focus was saving Loki or perhaps i just couldn't add it in to make it feel connected, I dunno. xD So I hope you can forgive me for not really putting them in all their _shining _glory but I guess I've done something I haven't before, like their initial thoughts on it. Not sure~ **

**But I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, before I forget... **

**One review told me that Loki was kinda _girly _in the last chapter, and when I read it back I made him seem too weak for some reason, but because of this particular review, I saw the light. hehhehe... and I thank you all for reviewing. **

**You help me make the story and push me to continue. Thank you again and enjoy~ **

**This chapter is really LONG! So feels for you~ xD  
**

* * *

**oOo **

Tom, Chris, Rob, Sharlotte, Evans, Russo and Jeremiah watch as the Avengers all get into their positions to try and save the god that they once fought.

It was sort of cliche or whatever you call it, but it was still touching. The counterparts all considered each and every moment valuable, because this is where they were being tested.

They watch as Loki screams, trashing about but then the screen was turned off.

"I want eyes on the Avengers!" Fury shouts. "Right now! Send us to their location. They might need our help in a long shot. But keep us away from view."

"Yes Sir!"

"What about the others?" Hill asked Fury.

"They're staying right here, they have no job outside this Helicarrier." Fury glared at them with one eye.

"Sir, coordinates are already locked. Deploying other Agents."

"Make it quick. Send the best ones, keep an eye out. Get information, have the gamma radiation team in front. We don't want no radiation spreading."

"Yes Sir!"

"Then we're clear. Take us there!"

They all sat there, watching as all the Agents around the base were working to get the coordinates right, to hover the Helicarrier just above the base where the Avengers were.

Fury had already deployed Agents to follow the Avengers and help secure the base.

One thing is for sure, they meant _business_.

The only thoughts running through their mind right now was about their counterparts. When they reach Loki, when they reach the tesseract, they're going back to their own world.

_Would they easily forget about the events that happened? _

They felt like they needed to say something earlier, but the situation had to be dealt first, so each and everyone of them held dear to those thoughts.

Those thoughts, were now being spoken in their very minds.

While the event happened, they couldn't help but think, just wait and wonder.

_If the Avengers had the chance to get to know them better, to compare themselves, to know what they have and what they think they miss, would it make a difference? _

_If there was a chance?_

_Sure... there was... _

They just hope that their thoughts fly with them.

Sharlotte ran her thoughts, looking at Natasha enter that door, she felt her heart explode. She looked like she meant business and not in a good way, all seriousness was in there and the way she looked at her, there was that sort of longing feeling, a nagging emotions ripping through her.

_"May we never meet like this again." _She thinks. _"Not like this, not ever. Maybe in another movie, just not this way."_

Sharlotte knew of Natasha's pasts and perhaps, that was just kept between them, the way they stared at each other even through short moments.

Then comes Evans, he looked at Captain America walking through that door. He was the taker of burdens, he was holding onto the name of a country and he was the leader. He was pushing the team just as he was pushing himself, man out of time, even if Evans wasn't out of time and he was more in the modern, he can't help but compare how lucky he was, not to experience the same things the good Captain had.

Luck...

_"Cap you know you're lucky."_ Evans thought. _"You're practically__ missing out on how great the team is, and you fell right at the hands of good people. Luck is on his side, I hope you see it. You're a leader, just as much as you're a fighter. You gotta win."_

Then Jeremiah, he favors how despite the fact that Barton was compromised, he was still able to push those thoughts aside and help out the guy that tried to harm him. The look that they shared when they first entered and how they think they were beyond them, it was funny but Jeremiah can't help but think it was sad.

An encounter that would change them forever.

Despite those things, they had a lot in common but still, Jeremiah considered himself thankful that he wasn't the assassin.

_"You've dealt through many things." _He thinks. _"I'm sure you're dealing with your own shit right now, debating about it in your head. But you gotta know that you're not the only one living through that kind of pain. If you were able to forgive and save one soul, just like you did with Natasha, I'm sure you'll be able to do the same for others." _

Thoughts, how easily they could be said.

Russo on the other hand, had his own demons to deal with but that didn't stop him from achieving the things he already has. He tried his best to see and look into Hulk's character a bit more, but it was too deep for even him and for others to understand.

He had no idea what it was like to feel the way Bruce did and he was just glad that he didn't have to experience the same things. He was a father and Bruce wasn't, he was in control, while the other wasn't.

He was just happy things had gone differently for him.

_"You have your demons."_ Russo pondered. _"But they can be changed. There is greatness somewhere in there, and the other guy, be it harmful or not, he's saved your life. Listen to Tony, he's got his own demons too. There are no monsters, we just blame them for mistakes. You can change, you can have a life, despite the circumstances, there's still a lot of time left. Make the best of it."_

And Rob plays along.

Tony knows him, The Avengers know him, because he got caught in one of the crossfires, but that was it. And what? They just think it could all end like this, like it was nothing? They had their moments, they had an understanding.

_"You're not just Iron man." _Rob thought. _"You're Tony Stark, the mechanic. You're destined for great things, and all great things must come to an end, but it'll never stop you. No, every end always has a beginning, so no matter what, you'll always be great."  
_

Rob chuckled.

_"Sure there may be gods, aliens, other worlds, science and magic, but that won't stop you. It never has, you keep pushing on, keep changing. And you know... you've always know. That you'll always be... Iron man."_

This leaves us with Chris, and Thor.

Chris was many things, a brother, a friend, a good man, a father, something that Thor could be one day but now, Thor just had to focus more on being a brother, that was his main goal. To mend that bond. To fix what was lost, he was already making progress and soon, whatever happens...

There is always a redemption.

_"Loki loves you, he will always love you."_ Chris thinks. _"I hope you find him, mend whatever was broken and correct the mistakes you've all made in your years, and learn from it. Be wise and think on your own, don't be afraid to listen but be rational about it. Earth had many things to offer, but it offered you, a _chance."

A chance that perhaps Tom and Loki would take?

Tom is loved, cared for and amazing to almost anyone. Completely the opposite of Loki but deep inside, there is a _Tom _in Loki, they just didn't know that. The thoughts of pain and fear have already left Tom's mind, as if it was already mending and that the bonds were slowly breaking.

Perhaps, it was because, the Avengers and Loki were winning?

But Tom still questions about that redemption, though he's sure Loki will get it, he still wonders how that would be. But that's not important now, is it?

_"You do what you want?" _Tom smiles. _"But there is always a catch to everything. Just know that there are people around there that care for you, who love you more than you think they do. These people, the Avengers, they're coming to save you." _

Tom looks at Fury, calling their attention.

_"You can change whatever you were destined for, you write your own stories. Nobody has the right to dictate your life. You have to hang on Loki... they're coming to save you..."_

_"Just... hang on."_ His thoughts whisper.

* * *

**oOo**

_Just hang on, Loki..._

_Hang on..._

The room began to spin as Loki's lips felt dry and his vision became hazy.

At one point of his struggling, the cloth on his mouth had dropped and Blake didn't even care to put it back. Knowing it was already useless, Loki's screams have stopped and that was good for Blake, but bad for Loki.

It only meant how tired he was.

_Hang on Loki..._

The chair was sending waves towards the attached coils from the bottom of his chair towards the tesseract. The moment his energy was pulled, the tesseract emitted a high and bright frequency of radiation, piling up and shooting towards the circular metals, opening the portal slowly.

A huge gust of wind, and a sight of the horrible rock Thanos was on, came to view.

Blake was grinning from the side line as he watched the portal grew a size, large enough to fit 5 people at once. He continued to laugh as the Chitauri on the other side tried to get in, only to be propelled back.

"You aren't getting in." Blake announced. "I want my end of the bargain, get your leader, _the Other._ He can project himself but just as an illusion, I don't want that. I want the _real _Other."

_"Such, picky mortals." _One Chitauri hissed with their language. _"Traitor, scum." _

"I can't understand you." Blake grits his teeth. "But I know you can understand me, now where is he? I'm tired of waiting, he's done his job of getting Loki to come here by influencing his mind but I'm having none of that. Do you hear me?"

_"Find him." _The chitauri turned to the other chitauri. _"Mortals and their petty threats." _

"I'm sure you do understand me. But attempting to control me is useless, I've done modifications, you can't stop me and let alone try to take over my mind." He grins.

_"Seek-" _They called. _"Mortals attempt, falter.. traitor, mankind... betray!"_

_"Our lord. Punish! Kill."_

_"Death."_

Some of the Chitauri hissed at him from the other side, some of them left to find their leader, as the others tried to destroy the portal, finding a way inside earth. Blake just shook his head at their pathetic attempt to get through the barrier.

"I'll be waiting." He turned away.

Blake had it all calculated, _no more games_, he thought.

Just when he was just about ready to get what he wants, one of the Agents whispered terrible news about the Avengers, putting him into a state of worry.

The Avengers were coming.

This was bad.

He turned to Loki who was struggling to stay awake, to keep breathing. He hadn't thought that the god would last this long that it somewhat became a miracle.

_ "How much pain could a god endure?"_ He wondered.

But no time for that.

He paced around the room, thinking of ways to delay the Avengers for a little while longer. He sent Agents all around the base already, arming them with powerful weapons based on Loki's magic, which was still in the testing process, but they didn't have time for that.

They had to make due of what was there.

He turned off the camera and walked

He glanced at Loki again, who was sweating and shaking horribly, his face was pale, almost white and his body was slumping dangerously, but it was hard to notice with the rope supporting him on the chair.

_"No!" _He told himself. _"Now is not the time to feel_ _regret." _

He mentally slapped himself for even feeling pity for the god, this wasn't the time.

_ "You're doing this for yourself." _

That much he understood.

Loki felt the gust of wind blow at his hair, the air in the room was thickening fast. He would have told Blake that his magic and the tesseracts power mixing would cause unexplainable energy and the two don't mix well.

It could cause more chaos than he would like.

Though what good does that do now?

Loki felt his energy completely draining, with the last ounces of strength he opens an eye to see Blake pacing around the room, clearly in _distress_.

Loki would have _laughed_ if it wasn't for the pain he was feeling but considering this moment as an opportunity, Loki continued to struggle.

The pain felt _numb_ to him.

That was a good thing, it gave him an opportunity to try.

He moved his wrist trying to escape and in hopes to buy some time til the Avengers get here. There was _no use_ in relying on the Avengers, on putting the _burden_ on them when he can do something for himself.

He's lost the trust of everyone already, and he can only trust himself to get out but deep inside, he still had hope that Thor wouldn't abandon him. His magic was already going haywire and the last thing he wanted was to be seated there waiting for his death.

"You-" Loki croaked, earning a glare from Blake.

_This was the only way to buy time._

"You still have enough strength to talk?" He laughed. "I'm impressed."

"You won't- be able to get- what you ask for." Loki tiredly says. "He won't give you want you want."

"If he won't then I'll take it forcibly. You've seen what I've done to you."

"He'll kill you just the same way he will do to me. He doesn't... take kindly to betrayal." Loki leaned forward, his other wrist almost free from his binds. "I'm war-warning y-you alre-ready."

"Dully noted" Blake spat.

Loki closed his eyes, this attempt wasn't going anywhere, if he could just manipulate his magic... wait! That's it! He could manipulate his magic, feed the tesseract and overload it, it was only the logical thing to do, or the dumbest but there was no time to ponder it.

The tesseract was draining energy from him, like a source, using it instead of its own power, keeping it as a reserve. If Loki could overload those reserves, then maybe he'll get a fighting chance.

"The Avengers are coming." Blake breathed. "But it'll be too late, once they get here, they'll see the magic you armed me with, Loki. I should thank you for that. I would have my victory."

"Strong words for a man who hides behind a false truth." Loki bitterly spats, still wiggling his wrist to get free. "The magic in my weapons can't be contained. It will kill your men."

"Shut up." He angrily slams his fist on the panels. "They may not be tested but it will work.

"What good would that do? It'll be too late anyways."

Loki pumped more magic through the coils into the tesseract, as he continued to talk to Blake to distract him, long enough for it to work.

"Look at you." Loki chuckles darkly. "You're nervous for the Avengers come, their thoughts about you are with blood. They wish you dead. Fallen."

"Loki." Blake warns.

"Nervous." Loki closes his eyes, tiredly. "N-not the same man as before. You're more a threat, t-to yourself than y-you are to them. Y-you fear them. You took measures, like taking m-my magic, using it to protect you."

"Stop, talking to me." He angrily retorts. "I'm- I'm thinking."

"A man like yourself, being easily... e-easily dictated by a trickster."

"I said shut up."

Blake cranked the power of the tesseract, _higher._

"Ugh.." Loki groans.

Loki took a long breath, pain swelling on his chest as he felt all the magic in him transfer to the tesseract, but then again he didn't care anymore. Just as long as he got out of there, he was alright with it.

He sucked in a lot of air, as he continued to taunt Blake, long enough to delay his end as well as the coming of Thanos and his reign.

What better to keep awake, than by talking?

"And you call yourself a victor already." Loki chuckled painfully. "You're just a pathetic mortal trying to get what he wants, to think you can lay claim on a world that you so yourself, don't deserve."

_Silver-tongue._

"And you think a world for yourself would easily get you a life you need, or want. P-people will not worship you. You are no god, you are but a man with a dream."

_Use it to your advantage. _

"Agent Blake, just a man, with false and pathetic dreams."

_Talented liar. _

"Nobody will care, you mortals die easily, and your death will come. But not unless you free me, if so, then we can both do something to change what fate has in store for us. P-perhaps.. if you understood more clearly of what we gods can- c-can o-off-offer..."

_Manipulator._

"Silence, Loki!" Blake shouted. "I know what you're doing."

"Really now?" Loki replies sarcastically. "And what is that? You barely know me."

"Barely?" He laughed. "I've known you since before, I just wasn't sure until now."

"A-AH! Mmh... ugh" Loki bit his lips, closing his eyes as he felt his magic jolt him. "W-what a-are you ta-talking about?"

"I've opened the portal once before." He explained. "I've heard you and your brother, the one who held the hammer. I researched on it. Norse mythology. All about you and your brother. There's two gods, destined to fight each other and I have one.

Loki glared at him, feeling his strength gone, feeling hopeless.

"The younger brother, at my mercy." Blake taunts.

He patted Loki's head and trailed it down to Loki's cheek, caressing it softly while Loki did his best to shrug the guy off.

"Oh, you were that young boy I heard." Blake smiled. "The young one, trying to impress his brother, trying and feeling bad, you were my target, I don't know you reminded me of my boy. My son, who died and I thought, maybe I just don't need ties to people anymore. That's where I stopped caring."

"And you've suddenly come across, a path that lead you to a god?" Loki groaned. "To me?"

"You aren't really a god, you're more of a frost giant." Blake smiled. "I've yet to see you blue though, will I get to see that?"

Loki was _not _falling for his tricks.

"No." He bites his lips.

"It was worth a try. It was all over the Norse myths." Blake smiled. "It was dumb luck that you came to earth and I was offered power, things looked up from there and now here we are."

"You listen to his words, to _Thanos."_

Loki hoarsely says, trying to avert the conversation from falling to him again.

"That's because I was allowed to-"

Blake got cut off by Loki, who was doing his best to keep talking.

_It was his lifeline._

"No. No, you didn't." Loki breathed, half awake. "You followed his instructions and you fell deep into his trap that you can't get yourself out. That mind of yours is working itself to try and get out of it, making false pretenses in order to feel satisfied and to bury the guilt you felt when your child-"

Loki was stopped when Blake's hand gripped Loki's jaw tightly.

"Now you listen here-"

_"You have him!"_ The Other hissed at the _Other_ end of the portal. _"Give him to... usssss." _

Loki felt thankful for the first time that the _Other_ was there. It gave him enough time with the delay, he looked over to the tesseract by his side, to see it flashing dangerously.

He looked deeper to see his green magic corroding its insides, mixing hazardously with the eternal power. Just a little while longer and this will play out just fine.

"Where's my prize?" Blake lets go of Loki's jaw, but stays completely by his side.

_"Bad idea." _Loki thinks, waiting for the opportunity as he continued to wriggle his left wrist.

_"Give us the trickster and he will give you the prize." _

The _Other _whispers, standing to close to the portal, touching it, like water and glass, he couldn't get in. The Other began slamming his fist to the portal, like a blob, it just absorbed the damage and propelled it back. The Other hisses.

_"He, who put power and authority in your hands, you, who dare defy him. Through this! What is this?" _

"A precaution." Blake smirks. "Unless I get what I want, you can't have what you need. Loki stays with me until Lord Thanos comes to a decision."

_"The Lord, iiissn'tt here!" _The Other slams a hand to the portal.

"Then it's a no deal." He answers back.

_"You dare not follow through to our bargain, our Lord, the master, the king! He, who gave you something, a dream! You dare defy him! You, who is no more than a man!" _

"I've heard that before." He turns to Loki. "Thanks."

_"Traitor, What the Lord promises he shall give! After! After!" _

"I'm not a patient man." Blake turns to Loki. "That right Lo- ah!"

Before he could continue, Loki's lose hand punched Blake square on the face, causing him to crumple to the floor, holding his face painfully.

"Patience is a virtue." Loki retorts. "Isn't that w-what you mortals call it?"

Loki was a god, and despite the lack of magic, he still has the strength that a human can't match.

That was his advantage.

_"You coward! You vile creature!" _The Other hissed, letting the other Chitauri's shoot at the portal for it to open. _"You are letting him get away! You, who we believed to change destiny! You filthy mortal!"_

Loki struggled, ripping the rope from his chest like it was nothing. He continued to destroy the binds on his hands and feet, the metal squeaked horribly as Loki's fingers dug on it, it broke to pieces.

He really wanted to get out, he ignored the protesting of his muscles and the pain ripping at his chest, his heart beating rapidly and vision blurred.

Blake clearly underestimated Loki's strength.

Before Blake could react, the tesseract shot mixed green and blue energy to the portal again, the energy quickly exploded in the room, throwing the scientists and the other Agents back, knocking some of them out.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Blake shouted. "You ruined everything!"

Loki turns to see what happened but the impact of the tesseracts energy _hits_ Loki square on the chest as he _crumpled_ to the floor.

Blake cried in pain as he gripped the arm rest of the chair, trying his best not to let go as the gust of wind continued to grow stronger inside the room.

"Look at what you've done!" Blake shouted. "Look at this! You're getting us all _killed_!"

"It.. was your fault to... to beg-begin with!" Loki answers back. "If... if I die! I'm ta-taking you with me to Hel!"

Loki, who was on the floor with Blake by his side, breathed erratically. "You started this, Agent Blake." Loki looked at him, with a pained expression.

"This is how it ends."

Blake on the other hand, was trying to stand up and get away from the portal, it was creating a sort of black hole, sucking everything from his lab to the Chitauri's land, or rock or whatever they called it, but his attempt was too far gone.

The control panel for the tesseract was far away from his reach, if he so much as steps without holding on to something, he'll land straight inside the portal.

Blake, gripped a bleeding nose, still shocked and unsure of what to do.

"You overloaded the tesseract!" He said in realization. "You used your magic to mix with it from the inside! That's how you did it! But- but I made sure you wouldn't, how-"

"S-smart of y-you to n-notice." Loki looked at the portal as he grabbed onto the leg of the chair. "N-no u-use pondering on it n-now."

Loki had his eyes closed, shaking terribly, body still damp from the water.

His grip _loosening_ as the portal attempted to take him with.

Not yet.

Not yet!

On the other side where the Chitauri were, papers, chairs and metal were piling up in the chitauri land, cracks were opening from the ground and unimaginable energy was attacking and frying the rest of the Chitauri.

Lucky how that was happening.

_"Traitors!"_ The Other hissed. _"Lord Thanos will not be pleased!" _

The Other got shot by one of the desk, sucked into by the portal, knocking him out.

The Chitauri were running around the place, while in the base, the Agents and Scientist were grabbing on for dear life, hoping to not get sucked into the portal.

It spelled _death_ to them.

The gust of wind turned into a tornado, sucking everything inside the portal. Damn Blake, for making it a one way portal!

Loki dug his hands to the chair, not letting go, he already felt weak as his eyes saw stars and the room spun in his vision.

He heard the door blast open but was too tired to turn his head.

He heard heavy footsteps, clanking of metal, a growl and reloading of bullets, then someone cursing.

"Loooki!"

* * *

**oOo **

"We have to hurry!" Thor said as he used Mjolnir to fly above New York. "I fear we may already be too late."

He followed Tony's lead while Tony's suit sent coordinates to him. Matching buildings and bringing them closer to the base but there was some strange interference that he was picking up and he wasn't sure.

The skies became darker as Thor deemed it to be. Lightning was everywhere and Tony managed to evade one lightning. He circled, dodging it, almost losing control of the suit, then bringing it back up to flying speed.

"Thor calm down!" he said. "We're going to get your brother."

"Nay, I cannot wait any longer knowing he is in danger."

Thor ignored him as he continued to follow Tony, New York was big and the signals Jarvis was tracking was being cut off, static hitting him, and it wasn't the bad weather from Thor, it was something else.

"The tesseract!" Thor spoke. "I can feel its power! It is somewhere there!"

Thor pointed but it was too big a city to see and even with Jarvis helping Tony, he still wasn't sure about the exact coordinates.

It could have still been bugged or something.

This was their only lead.

"Guys!" Tony contacted the others. "Thor's feeling mojo around here! What are you guys getting? You hear me? Hellloooo?"

_"Stark?" _Clint's voice said through the comms. _"We hear you, Banner's trying his best not to hulk out till we get there! He's getting major readings from down there. Where Thor's pointing at."_

"Down where!?" Tony asked. "Jarvis is getting spiked here, static is all over the place. Can't lock it down."

_"We're experiencing the same thing."_ Natasha's voice came. _"The controls here are jammed and we're going at high speed. Go down, it's right through that building. The whole street is abandoned, no living thing surrounding the area." _

"Good!" He dove slightly down. "What about the signals?"

_"There's a large spike of the tesseract." _Bruce said heavily. _"Not only that but Loki's magic is mixing with it." _

"How bad is that?" Tony wondered.

_"Not good." _Clint says.

_"Really bad Tony."_ Bruce breathes. _"Sure, the tesseract was using Loki's magic as a source to open the portals, it's keeping its own reserves at bay just in case it runs out."_

_"Remember the last time Loki first came here?"_ Clint answers to everyone. _"Doors open from both sides and it was Loki who opened the portal from the other side, remember that?"_

_"That's just it."_ Bruce says. _"It's as if the thing is alive, something's gone wrong. It shouldn't have been mixing, unless it was being forced to mix with Loki's magic. The structure of the two, their magic, with our science, it may be compatible but to an extent, it's the same with the tesseract and Loki's magic." _

_"You're saying Doc, that it's like two wires?" _Natasha asks. _"They can't mix."_

_"Red wire, Blue wire." _Clint provides.

_"You're all saying that it's suppose to stay separate?" _Steve realized.

"What happened Bruce? Did Blake do it?" Tony wondered. "Or did Loki? You think they have an advantage to this?"

_"No, that's what I'm confused about." _Bruce said. _"If those two powers mix, it will cause a rip through time and space, no such two powers can co-exist with each other let alone mixing, sure it's using Loki's magic as a base to open it but at first it didn't mix. And I highly doubt that Blake would risk such a thing if it was a one way portal." _

"You are all suggesting that my brother had something to do with this?" Thor asked openly, shocking everyone that he was listening.

_"Sort of, it's the only explanation. It's either Loki's being drained, to a point that the tesseract is already merging with his magic, or it's either Loki pushing his magic to get free of it, but it's both dangerous. It could kill him." _

"Damn it." Tony cursed. "Alright where's the base again?"

_"Right below you."_ Natasha said. _"__Stop." _

The Quinjet hovered behind as Tony went to a full stop, Thor just behind him.

"Thor! Follow me big guy, your brother's down there." He points.

Before Tony could utter anymore words, Thor dove down as a high speed, landing dangerously on the ground, blowing up a few windows and cars, one of the fire hydrant exploded, shooting water all over the place.

"Guys, you might want to hurry." Tony called. "Thor means business."

_"We're just right behind you, Stark. Hawkeye's gonna land this." _Steve said as Tony looked behind him, the Quinjet was there following his lead.

"Well I'll be damned." Tony smiled. "Let's get this party started."

Tony dove down and landed on one of the streets. The Quinjet just hovered down, landing on the open abandoned street, all of them got out. Bruce was clutching at his forehead, muttering at himself, _counting _they think.

Right now, they were faced with a bigger problem, the whole street was abandoned, where to now?

"It's over here." Tony points underground, but there wasn't an opening. "Shit, how are we going to-"

"We make one!" Thor slammed Mjolnir to the ground.

"Thor, hold on." Natasha glared at him. "You won't be able to get to him in time. The base is way down below, if you hammer through that rubble, your brother may already be dead."

"We have no time! If he takes all of Loki's magic, he will die!" Thor cried. "Loki's magic is part of him! He lives just as it lives inside him!"

"We know Thor." Steve assured him. "Widow and Hawkeye know their way around here. We trust them to get us there in time."

"The floor is in Sector 12, Level 15." Clint tells Thor. "it's a hundred feet down, you won't be able to get there in time. But there's a faster way, Nat?"

"On it."

Thor swallows as they let the two assassins work their wonders, a panel appeared out of nowhere as Natasha began to crack the codes open. Thor began to sweat, he wanted to do something, to help but technology of the mortals was beyond him. Tony was checking his suit, Bruce was too busy keeping calm until the real fight started and Cap was already relaying orders to them.

"And I thought this thing doesn't work anymore." Clint sighs.

"It doesn't." Natasha says. "You said so yourself, this place was wrecked before and was wrecked now."

"They must have fixed the place up." Bruce adds.

"Exactly." Natasha punched the last codes as the street opened.

Tony got out of the way as a giant elevator opened up in front of them. Clint, Natasha, Steve and Bruce got on quickly, followed by Tony and Thor.

They had their weapons ready by the time they reach sector 5, one of the elevator cogs exploded, having them free fall down.

"Shit!" Tony pulled the thrusters on as he grabbed at Steve.

"Hawkeye!" Steve shouted. "Grab Widow!"

"I got her!" Clint shouted.

"Thor! Bruce!" Steve screamed at them, watching them falling.

Clint aimed an arrow at the wall and it attached itself to it as he dove to catch Natasha. Thor was already flying with them while Bruce turned into the Hulk, who was now grabbing on for dear life, hands gripped tightly on the metal wall.

"Someone was expecting us." Natasha said as she latched on to Clint.

"Where are we Stark?" Steve asked, they were still hovering in the elevator shaft.

"We're in Sector 10 level 7." Tony said. "A few floors down."

"Good." Steve said. "Stark, I want you to dive us down there and when you get me off, Hawkeye and Widow will let go, you catch them both. Got it?"

"That's easy."

"Thor, you can help catch one of them." Thor nods at Steve's command. "We're going to expect a big fight down there, and Hulk!"

The Hulk grunts.

"Take down as many as you can... just, Smash until we find Loki."

The Hulk grins.

The plan falls into place, Tony flies Steve down to Sector 12, Level 10. The Others followed suit. They ran from corridor to corridor, getting no response from anyone. It seemed like an abandoned facility, lots of dead air around the place, rotten corpse of what Blake must have been doing. The whole place was rusty as hell. They passed through level 11-14, finally reaching the end of the hallway.

When they got down there, lots of armed men were already prepared to sacrifice their life as they have weapons with them.

"Where did they come from?" Natasha asked.

"Must be Blake's people." Tony pipes.

"You're not getting past us!" One of the Agents shouted.

"Where is my brother?"

"We ain't telling yah nuthin'!" the Other guy smirked, the rest of the fake Agents agreed.

Thor was about to swing his hammer when one of the guy shot Thor through the chest, sending him flying to another room.

Green energy swirling from the weapon, as the other Agents laughed at how amazing it was.

They all fought relentlessly, Thor attacked a few of the men, killing them with his lightning. Natasha and Clint shooting with their gun and arrows while Tony used his repulsors. Steve used his shield to protect him from the blasts while Hulk continued to get bigger, and angrier.

Just as the others took shots, they were all avoiding getting hit by the magic, apparently the Hulk wasn't happy about getting shot twice, and instead of dodging, he took all the aim and attacked the men viciously. Some of them ran away in fear of getting crushed and killed. Safe to say that half of the Agents didn't survive the encounter and some may have ran, but Shield was already on it.

Blocking every entrance and exit the base had. When they got to the end, Thor slammed his hammer to the door, denting it slightly.

The Hulk came and smashed his hands to the door.

It flew away and into the portal.

Natasha and Clint hung at the edge of the door, trying not to get sucked in by the strong air. Steve also grabbed a hold of the opening of the door. The Hulk stood there, able to stand while Thor was slightly being dragged by the wind, didn't falter one bit.

"Loooki!" Thor shouts.

* * *

**oOo **

Loki blinks, thinking he's heard right, he wasn't really sure. The wind was annoying and the sound was too loud, he could see Blake on his side still shocked, trying to rack his brain into thinking of a plan. Loki painfully maneuvers to the side, peeking at the door to see Thor.

His expression brightened.

"Thor!" Loki shouted, hoping to have Thor see him.

Thor was about to step in further when one of the control panels flew off into the portal. The others watched as the portal began to destroy the whole base, if they got there too late, the same could have happened to the last base Shield had and that was Fury's fault.

"Brother!" Thor shouted in distress. "Loki, are you alright?"

"Thor don't." Tony shouted behind him. "That thing is going to pull you in, even with my suit that things pull is stronger than it looks. It'll kill you!"

"Nay! I have to get my brother!" Thor cries. "He is too close to the tesseract!"

"Thor, you have to listen." Steve shouts. "How are you going to save Loki if you get caught?"

"I will die trying."

Thor took a step closer, almost losing his footing as he balanced himself with the aid of Mjolnir. Loki saw it and the blood from his face drained. Thor was going to sacrifice himself to get him.

Loki saw the Hulk pull Thor back and watched as the green beast turned back into being a man. Steve caught Bruce and pulled him to the other side of the door, where they couldn't get sucked in.

"What are we going to do now?" Bruce said.

"Why aren't you hulking out?" Tony wondered.

"I asked the Other guy not to get in the way, it would trap us both." Bruce breathed. "We have to stabilize the tesseract, we have to cut off its connections from where its standing, it's emitting power all over the place, using the electricity around the base as support."

"How the hell is it doing that!?"

"No time for questioning Stark." Natasha peeked through the door. "Can you shoot that lamp on top?"

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Tony shot his repulsor at the lamp, causing it to crash down near Loki and Blake, almost hitting the tesseract, but not enough to disable it. The lamp went flying into the portal.

"Clint?" Natasha turns to him.

"Can't... it's gonna pull the arrow in there. Gonna be useless even if I tried."

"I will try and get my brother." Thor walked inside, slowly, using the weight of his hammer to guide him.

"D-don't step any c-closer Thor!" Loki looks back. "If you get caught, you'll never be able to go back! And you'll be facing a whole army of what's left of the Chitauri."

"But I need to save you Loki!" Thor shouts. "I cannot lose you again! Not to them!"

"Take the tesseract and shut it off. It's the only way!" Loki frowns at him. "Please Thor, don't come any closer."

"Loki's right!" Natasha tells him. "The tesseract is nearer Thor! If you can get it, we may be able to shut this thing off!"

"But my Brother will die if I don't-"

"Damn it! Stop arguing with us and just do it, man!" Clint hung on for dear life. "I can't shoot the damn thing unless I want to get caught in that space hole!"

"You'd wish it was another hole, wouldn't you?" Tony joked.

"Not the time STARK!"

"Sorry, gotta lighten up the situation you know?"

"Loki watch out!" Thor shouts.

By the time Loki turns it was already too late, Blake was mad at him and the man tried to claw his way to Loki, who was in shock by the mans will to keep fighting.

Loki lost his grip of the chair and was pulled by portal.

"LOOkiiii NO!"

"THOOORR!" He cried as he desperately tried to grab onto something. He was thankful that he did, grabbing onto the coils on the floor.

Blake was shouting, not being able to grip anything, at the last second, he managed to grip Loki's leg, dragging Loki with him. Loki tried his best to keep himself secured to the coil, the pull was getting stronger and his vision was blurring, he wasn't sure how long he'd last.

"Noooo! HELP SOMEONE!" One of the scientists lost his grip and got sent into the portal, a few others followed him, while the others pleaded to be saved.

One scientist grabbed onto Blake. "Please save me!" She shouted, but the guy shook the woman off and she disappeared into the portal.

"Thor!" Loki shouts. "Get the tesseract! By getting it you'll be saving everyone! People are starting to die!"

One of the Agents down the hall, came back and started shooting at the other Avengers, keeping them occupied. Natasha began shooting outside, while the rest of them found cover. Clint punched one guy and pulled him into the room, he got sucked in by the portal as well.

"Damn!" Clint said. "That's one hell of a portal!"

"Thor, we're leaving this to you!" Steve shouts. "We're a little occupied here. We're keeping the area secure."

"You have nothing to worry about."

Thor was already inside the room, slowly walking towards Loki and Blake.

"You!" Blake shouts and repeats what Loki said to him before. "This is all your fault! If I die- I am taking you with me!"

Blake pulls out a knife from his belt and stabs Loki on left leg. Loki felt his grip losing the more Blake wiggles the knife around his leg. Loki closed his eyes, he wasn't going to pass out.

He _can't! _

He had to hang on!

"If we both get sucked into that thing, I'll still get my end of the bargain and you'll be living with regret and pain from lord Thanos! I'm not losing now!" Blake shouts, pulling the knife out of Loki's leg and stabbing him again. "Let go Loki! Just let go!"

"Loki!" Thor angrily shouts. "Don't!"

"No..." Loki weakly mutters. "I'm not dying today!"

Loki glares at Blake, raising his other leg and kicking Blake on his face. The man got caught off guard and lets go of Loki's leg, leaving the knife buried still.

"No! NOooo! PLEASsee!" Blake shouts as he gets sucked inside the portal. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Loki groans in pain, he felt his hands going numb, his fingers losing its strength and his vision darkening. _Maybe it's not too late to say you're sorry?_ Another wave of energy hit over the room from the tesseract and it surprises Loki. It makes him let go, as he's pulled again, but manages to catch another coil on the ground.

"Loki, just hang on! I will get you!"

"Thor." Loki softly yet loudly enough says. "When you get back to Asgard, tell mother I'm sorry." Loki pleads. "T-tell Odin that I still haven't forgiven him, but perhaps I might. I'm still not sure."

"No, Loki!" Thor walks faster, evading the powerful waves of magic from the tesseract. "You will tell them yourself! Do you understand me? Hang on brother! Just hang on!"

Loki nods weakly as he tries to hang on.

"THOR!" The others shout at him. "Get the tesseract!"

"The tesseract is locked to the machine!" Thor shouts back. "If I destroy it, then it will be taken in by the portal as well, I cannot have the Chitauri get it!"

"Do something!" The others called.

But Thor completely ignores them as he made his way closer to Loki.

"Loki, listen to me, don't let go."

"I can't..." Loki cries. "I c-can't Thor."

"No Loki! You will not fall into their hands, do you understand me!?"

"I can't hold on Thor." A single tear falls from Loki's eye. "You tried, Brother, I'm... I'm sorry. For everything."

"No Loki. Please don't!" Thor cries after him. "Don't! Please. Don't let go!"

"I'm _truly _sorry."

_This time his words were sincere, no malice, no intentions, it was just... genuine._

_This is goodbye brother. I'm truly sorry._

_Farewell._

_Loki no._

Loki closed his eyes, and felt his hand go numb as he lets go, remembering the _past _year where he fell at the hands of the Chitauri, this time, he was going to fall again to them.

But Thor wouldn't have that happen.

_Not today!_

He's lost Loki once before, he's not losing him again.

He dives down to him without any thought, dropping Mjolnir to the floor, gripping the handle as he enveloped Loki in a tight embrace. Using Mjolnir's weight to hold both of them down from entering the portal.

They were so close to the portal and Loki opened his eyes, to see blonde hair and red cape. He looked up to see Thor's determined blue eyes staring at the portal, his embrace tight and not letting go.

_"He dove after me." _Loki felt his breath hitch. _"He dove after me." _

"Guys!" Tony shouted. "Thor's got Loki! What do we do now?"

"Tony!" Bruce walks to him carefully. "Can you see anything any coil attaching itself to the tesseract and the portal, if we could hit that, then the energy its getting will stop and it'll have no strength to power it again."

Tony turns to the side, feeling the portal sucking him in, Jarvis went into play, showing him different cords attached to the tesseract. "We're looking for the main power, Jarvis." He said as it showed to him a giant coil next to Thor and Loki.

"Found it Bruce!" Tony shouts. "But I can't get near it without getting caught!"

"Thor?" Steve talked to him. "Can you destroy the coil, Stark's talking about? It's right beside you! If you destroy it, the power will be cut off!"

"I cannot!" Thor groans as he struggles to hang on. "If I let go of the hammer, it will send both Loki and I into the portal!"

"Nobody can get near that thing." Natasha breathes, taking out one last enemy.

"I can't shoot it, it might hit Thor and Loki." Clint adds.

"Hulk?" Steve wonders.

"Can't..." Bruce mutters. "It's too risky."

"Loki..." Tony thinks. "LOKI! LOKI! Loki can try! Loki do you hear me!"

Loki rises his head from Thor's chest and peeks through his brother's shoulder, looking at Stark tiredly. He could barely register what the man was saying and he was losing consciousness already. In and out from when Thor got to him.

"-ki..."

_Was that Thor?_

"Loki!" Thor hugged him tightly. "Stark wants you to destroy the coil. You have a knife with you?"

"Knife _on _me." Loki mutters, wave of dizziness hitting him.

"I know you are tired brother, but you have to stay awake!" Thor pleads. "Please Loki, just stay awake and hang on. Can you get to the coil?"

Loki pulls the knife from his leg painfully, biting his lips and burying his face on Thor's chest. His breathing hitched again, as he pulls himself together, Thor's words to him didn't register as he stabs the coil. It grounded him but he felt slightly numb to notice, the tesseract blinked rapidly as the portal began to disappear.

The objects flying around, began to fall as Loki's body went limp in Thor's arm. Thor released his grip on his hammer as he fully supported Loki's limp body to him. The others walked inside, looking just as tired as the rest of them, there were a lot of casualties but at least the impending doom was over.

"That's a hole I never want to go into." Tony breathed.

"You and me both, man." Clint huffs tiredly.

Loki was clutching at Thor weakly and unconsciously, burying his head to Thor's chest. His breathing still erratic, but Thor was just glad it was over. That Loki was finally safe. That is was the end of that.

They won't be seeing Blake anymore.

_"You're safe Loki." _Thor kisses Loki's forehead. _"You're safe."_

* * *

**oOo **

**TBC!**

**One last chapter and it's gonna be the end! XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please tell me what you think, or anything at all so I may correct some things if there is something to correct. :)  
**

**Please tell me what you want to see in the next chapter... xD  
**

**Anyways, please review and tell me what you think! I LOVE YOU GUYS!**


	20. Chapter 20 - Good Bye

**It has been a pleasure staying with you til the end, I love you all so much. I thank you all, and please feel free to visit my other stories of the Avengers and Loki, such as "**Voices of Eternity**," "**Past Encounter,**" "**A perfect Victim,**" and "**What the heart sees.**" **

**Thank you again, please Enjoy~ :)**

* * *

**oOo **

They were standing on the same spot where it all started, the very place where they were suppose to gather and see Thor and Loki off to Asgard. At first, they were enemies, seeing each other off to have Loki in prison but now, it had turned into something far more rewarding, now, they will see each other off with a better light.

The Avengers and Loki stood on the other side, while the counterparts stood opposite them.

Shield was somewhere around, monitoring their actions, just in case something goes wrong, they're prepared to take the worst hit.

Now, they were just going to say _goodbye. _

Each and every moment, they count preciously and they hadn't expected it to end like this. With the threat gone, what was stopping them from going home? Now, the only problem was _Thanos_, who was somewhere out there in the universe, waiting and preparing.

At least now, they have the Avengers.

And they are more prepared, not only that, but they have two gods that would come and help them, which meant that Earth had the favor of one of the realms, _Asgard, _the realm eternal.

Before they could all say their farewells, one of the Shield cars parked right next to the portal zone, as Tony called it. Unexpectedly, all of their gaze fell on the driver seat of the car, the windows were pitch black and when the engine stopped and someone took a step out of the vehicle, all of their eyes widened.

"Holy shit!" Tony said.

"боже мой" Natasha stares.

"I'll be damned." Clint grins.

"W-what?" Steve turns his head.

The said man strides towards them, and Loki felt himself shrink further behind Thor, not able to look at the man standing right there. The counterparts, however, didn't even seem shocked, it's like they expected it to happen but they were also intrigued as to how and why the said man is _back_.

"You're staring." Coulson said.

"No kidding." Clint crosses his arms. "Who wouldn't be?"

"Already on the job, after all of that." Natasha glares. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to see you guys off." Coulson smiled at them.

"The more appropriate question, Agent Romanov, is, You're supposed to be dead, Phil." Tony tilts his head, pointing. "How are you even alive?"

"The knife through my chest, it didn't hit my heart. It was just close enough to keep me passed out until I was sent to someplace they could patch me up and recover."

"That means-" Bruce turned. "Loki didn't kill you."

Loki looked up, hearing his name mentioned.

Everyone noticed how frail Loki really was when they got out of that base, he'd been more silent and not targeting anyone with his sharp tongue. The god was really tired and pale, so far, Loki's been acknowledging questions and answers with small sentences and kept sticking to Thor like a life line.

Coulson looks at Loki, who immediately kept his gaze on the floor and away from everyone of them, trying his best to stick away from them and just hide and be left alone.

It wasn't working though.

Thor kept preventing it. _You're not going to shy away from this, brother._ His words unspoken, but his actions clearly stated so.

"No, he didn't." Coulson shook his head. "I came here because I wanted to properly give our guest a warm goodbye, I've missed out on a lot of action, I want to make it worth while."

"A warm goodbye is good." Bruce agrees.

"That's good, I mean, it's great, very great." Steve chuckled. "It's a miracle. That's nice, right?"

"There aren't any miracles, but coincidences." He answered back. "I'm lucky, or I wasn't in any danger at all, judging from the information we gathered."

"Loki is innocent." Natasha says, shrugging. "Partly innocent. You planned everything, or at least didn't intentionally did it."

Loki nods.

"It's all good." Coulson said. "You're cleared, not really a threat to Earth anymore."

"It is good to see you alive, son of Coul." Thor smiled, pushing his brother forward. "It makes things easier for us. I suppose it is not yet your time to travel to Valhalla, and we are blessed with your life. Isn't that right, brother?"

"Ah, yes." Loki averts his gaze. "Wonderful."

"Nice answer." Clint huffs.

"Don't mind him." Natasha preens. "Loki's still adjusting through everything that's been happening. Shield, papers to sign, contracts to build, information gathering. It's all been accounted for and his stories tally with everything we got. He's cleared and it's only been five days since the rescue mission. But anyways, we're all glad you're back on your feet."

"Good to be back." Coulson says.

"I knew he was alive, from the very beginning." Jeremiah stretched his arms. "Someone owes me fifty!"

"Nobody owes you fifty." Tom laughs at the side. "Everyone knows it."

"We all knew he was alive, actually, it was said he'd live." Chris tells them. "Remember?"

"I don't recall." Jeremiah shrugs.

"You knew and you didn't tell us?" Tony palmed his face. "That would've been helpful."

"We weren't sure." Sharlotte answers for him. "And none of you asked. It's been a tough few days, it never popped into our minds."

"Guess this comes as a happy ending." Russo rubs his neck.

"Yes!" Evans pumped his fists. "How awesome is it to get first hand information on your characters, it's brought in a new kind of perspective, which is amazing."

"Well said." Jeremiah says. "But I still want my fifty."

"I doubt someone will give you fifty. I'm not handing money over." Tom chuckles, earning a soft slap on the shoulder from Sharlotte. "What?"

"Play nice you two."

"So.. what now?" Rob asked. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but I miss my family and I'm sure these guys," He points at his friends. "Feel the same way."

"My sweet daughter." Chris clasps his hands. "I have loads to tell them."

"You do know nobody will believe us, right?" Tom wonders, smiling. "It's too big to even go around telling people."

"Think of it this way." Thor adds to their thoughts. "It is an adventure you've spent learning and discovering. Something that changes what we all see in each other. It was either fate had planned this for us or we were just destined to learn from each others perspective, from each others world."

"That's a tongue full." Tony chuckles.

"That is the smartest thing I've heard you say in centuries." Loki murmurs, getting pulled into a hug from Thor.

"I have said many smart things, brother! You've just never heard them."

"I doubt it." Loki huffs, pulling away from Thor.

"Director Fury isn't happy that we're all stalling." Coulson chuckles. "But I'll keep him occupied in the comms. I'll wait by the car till you say your goodbyes. We have much to discuss later on."

"I'm taking you up on that offer! Pepper would want to hear from you." Tony pipes, then clasps his hands together. "Now, I guess this is goodbye."

Tony stepped towards them first, walking towards Rob.

"Stay cool man, and keep it up with whatever you're doing." He winks at him, keeping his signature grin on. "Keep me famous."

"Thanks. Don't forget me." Rob winked at the rest of the counterparts, who just smiled at him, the others laughed.

Those two were more alike than they thought.

"I don't think I ever will."

Everyone went to each of their counterparts to say their goodbyes. Tony awkwardly shifted from where he stood as he took out one of his hand from his pocket, Rob smiled and shook his hand.

"You know, you'd make a great dad." Rob teased him, as he thought about _Iron man 3._

"Maybe, who knows?" Tony grinned.

"Pepper might."

"Right." He scoffs. "Thanks, even if you barely did anything and I'm still the awesome one with the real suit. You and..." He waved his hand. "The rest of them, you guys kinda changed our views of the world. And, just... thanks."

"Not a problem." He chuckles. "Take care and just, keep low on the alcohol and you should keep in mind that, you have friends." Rob told him. "People who care about you, just the same way you do about them. Don't push them away, I know, cause, you know."

"Got it." Tony nods at him awkwardly. "Fly safe."

"Will do, I guess."

Bruce crept silently at the side while Russo watched the others say their goodbyes. It was also awkward for them, because they barely knew each other and gotten to try and get to know each other, so it was difficult for them, especially for Bruce, because he really didn't want to Hulk out on Russo.

"This is goodbye then." Russo shook Bruce's hand. "I'm sure, you'll end up saving the world."

"Maybe. I'm not sure this is going as my job description."

"Perhaps not, but people do love the Hulk despite the fact that he's green and raging."

"Thanks. You have a family, right?" Bruce asked as Russo nodded. "Keep safe and Take care, I'm sure everything will work out just fine."

"Thanks, I guess, it will but I think you need the encouragement more than I do."

"I suppose." Bruce fixed his glasses. "I'm still trying to adjust, but Tony's doing well in helping me cope."

"I guess it's just the will to keep moving on."

"It is."

Steve rubbed his head as he walked forward, looking at the modern Steve in front of him. Evans, who still somewhat looked like a kid and slightly with Tony's attitude but not that worst.

"This is goodbye."

"You're a really awesome Captain." Evans raised his hand in defense. "Not that you weren't awesome before but seeing you up close, it's so totally cool."

"Um.. thank you."

"Keep being the leader you are, man. People love you." Evans pressed. "Your story, man out of time, it's too unbelievably but historically great too."

"I wish I could say the same things to you because that's an awfully lot of praise coming from someone who's me." Steve laughs. "I barely know you and I wish I'd get to but we all have to say our goodbyes and it was a pleasure working with you."

"No worries, we're cool and my life is fine the way it is I guess."

"Yeah, that's good to hear." Steve thinks. "I guess, I'm still not able to catch up with modern things but I'll try."

"It'll be easy." Evans assured him. "You'll be dancing technology on your fingers in no time once you just try and have fun with it. That's all there is to it, I guess."

"Have fun." He nods. "I'll try."

"I'm sure you will, since you're living with the Avengers, things will play out just fine."

"I hope so."

"I'll see you in the next Captain America, I guess." Evans laughs. "That's probably how we'll keep touch."

Steve smiles.

Natasha and Clint went to their own counterparts who just stood there, watching them with grins. Clint was more enthusiastic to say his goodbyes to them than Natasha was.

She understood that keeping ties like this was hard, because they barely knew each other but she and Clint had managed to dig up information on them, which was necessary with all Agents and they've managed to get a few to understand.

"You need to get that fifty." Clint presses, earning an elbow from Natasha. "I'm just saying."

"I'll get it, somehow." Jeremiah grins. "It's a farewell then, wish we could stay but our world is waiting for our return."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to people to miss Jeremiah." Sharlotte smiles towards him. "They'd be broken-hearted."

"I have one question. By any chance, are you two-?" Natasha questions awkwardly. "Because you're so-"

"No." Sharlotte giggles. "Not really. We're just that close. Aren't we?"

"When have we not been close." Jeremiah laughs. "We've known each other for a while, and things get wild. Really wild when it comes to these things."

"Wilder." Sharlotte corrects.

"See what I mean."

"I think I do." Clint laughs, looking at Nat then back to them. "Anyways, keep people loving us or whatever it is you guys do as _us_, keep rocking, I suppose. I really got nothing more to say, Nat?"

"Let's just hope never to see each other again." Natasha says. "How's that?"

"Agreed." They all said.

"It's a goodbye then." Clint shakes his hand with Jeremiah and Natasha does the same to Sharlotte.

"It's one hell of a ride when you guys got here, and I think we all deserve a break." Natasha smiles faintly at them, giving them the warmest one she could give.

Last but not the least, was Thor and Loki with their opposites Chris and Tom. Thor momentarily let Loki away from his sight as he said his goodbyes to Chris. The two had become rather friendly with each other and agreed on many things.

"I guess I'll see the god of thunder around." Chris jokes. "Or not."

"Perhaps, friend. It is a farewell." Thor nods at him, clasping his shoulder. "Thank you for all you have done and the knowledge you and Tom have given."

"It's nothing and I guess we all needed a wake up call."

"Indeed we do, and now may we travel on different paths."

"That's nice."

"You have a family, yes?" Chris nods. "Keep them safe and I wish you all well, I have no doubts that you cannot do that. I have lived many centuries and not found the time to settle, so I suppose I cannot give much advice but I know you already know it."

"It's not easy to be a father." Chris admits. "But seeing your child, be happy, is one of the best things life can offer you. But I know you'll make a better father. No offense to yours though, but you'll be better than him."

"I understand your words, and I will, in time." Thor smiles at him. "But for now, I wish to focus more on my brother, Loki, for he needs me. I am sure that Jane will understand."

"She's patient, she will."

"Thank you again, friend."

Tom stood there, awkwardly staring at Loki, as the other stared almost impassively towards him. Tom knew that Loki was going through the toughest time since the very beginning. And when Loki had come back from being rescued, Thor was carrying him, his body limp and pale. Everyone was shocked and medical attention was brought to him.

Loki had woken up the next day and was asked a lot of thing, he didn't bother trying to weasel his way out, he just wanted them done, he had done so while Thor stayed by his side every minute.

Thor was an _anchor._

And Tom knew that Loki wasn't going to let go of Thor and neither will Thor do the same. He had lost Loki more than enough times already and he wasn't about to do it again.

Tom stared at Loki, as he watched the god play with his sleeves.

He looked normal, with those clothes on, green shirt and black pants, while his hair kept back and he just stood there, thin frame and pale skin in the sunlight.

Too _human._

Tom wanted to thank him, because now, whatever happened, they both felt connected. Because of the tesseract, they practically shared something already.

He wanted to thank him for showing a deeper side of life and sort of trusting him, but Tom didn't know where to start on that. He watched as Loki's gaze turned to the others, they were all finishing up on saying their goodbyes while they barely even begun.

Loki swallowed hard, this human, this _Tom, _had shared part of himself already. He understood more than what Loki gives him credit for and he just wasn't sure.

"Listen, Loki I-" Tom was about to say something when Loki strode forward and embraced Tom, who was shocked at the action.

Loki embraced him!

Tony whistled at the sidelines, and Tom's face flushed, everyone was paying attention to the two of them and he was just glad that Loki didn't notice everyone watching.

The embrace was long, and there were no words needed to be said.

Thor watched his brother embrace the mortal, it was an action Loki never really did, but when he does, it had meant that there was something there, deep inside. _Thank you. _Thor couldn't help it and a laughter escaped his lips, he had his brother back and somewhere in there, those bonds had begun to mend again.

And it was all thanks to the mortals.

Their interference in this world and their words had changed the course of what should happen, and it brought out _truth _that Loki himself, couldn't bring out, in fear of lying and Thor was grateful for that.

While everyone else watched the embrace, they couldn't help but think about the difference of the Loki, who attacked New York and the Loki, who stood there now, locked in an embrace with his _other worldly_ twin.

Tom was shocked but that didn't stop him from returning the embrace.

He could feel Loki moving his lips, slowly, then turning to him.

"Thank you for everything, Tom." Loki whispered in his ears, as the god pulled away, smiling.

Tom smiled in return, that was right.

There were no words that needed to be said, because they understood each other perfectly, or at least imperfectly perfect in a sense. Before Tom could say anything further as a return of Thanks, Loki walked away and crept back to Thor's side.

I guess, that was it.

Even if it wasn't said, Tom could hear it and so did Loki.

Somewhere, there was a faint whisper in both their ears.

Those faint words.

_Goodbye._

Tony and Bruce brought out the tesseract, which was contained in a weapon like structure. Tony held it, pressing the trigger and power shot through, opening a door that would lead them back to their world. With all the calculations they've done, it was sure that when the counterparts return, everything would go back to normal.

No time skipping.

No jokes.

It'll go back to Normal.

Before they knew it, the counterparts disappeared and they had gone back to their lives. Disappearing into the portal one by one, each and everyone of them, staring into their own eyes.

Good bye.

* * *

**oOo**

Tony turned off the tesseract and had Bruce help him with transferring the tesseract to the container Thor and Loki used. It was safer now and when they had done that, they gave it to Thor, who looked at his brother.

Loki gave a faint nod, glancing back at where Tom and the others had gone.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

He'd be going home...

And they would understand.

Loki wanted to make things right, he walked towards Coulson, who stayed by the car. Everyone looked at the god but didn't stop him, Thor was grinning widely.

"Agent." Loki began.

"Loki, it's not-"

"I have to." Loki shook his head. "No, I want to. And it is the right thing to do. I am, sorry for doing what I had done, almost taking your life."

"I'm clearly alive, and you know as well as I do that you didn't mean any of it."

"You knew."

Coulson nods.

"You knew that I lacked conviction, yet you still-"

"Call it from experience." He smiled. "But know that I don't hold anything against you. We were all worked up at that time, and we won. It doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past."

"Yet you will still remember it."

"It's not easy to forget but I understand where you're coming from. And I've long since forgiven you."

"Thank you Agent." Loki lowered his head, whispering.

"Call me Phil."

Loki smiled, lifting his head when he felt Thor touch him from the back. It was time to go home, he followed Thor, who walked by his side, they once again stand at where they stood before, where everything went to hell.

Everyone was thinking the same thing.

The Loki before, was in chains, angry and hurt and Thor was troubled but looking at it now. Loki was free and smiling, while Thor had a huge grin on his face.

Loki grabbed the other end of the tesseract just as Thor turned to the others.

"My friends." He said. "This is not the end, and we will return."

* * *

**oOo**

**Thank you to everyone who stuck with me till the end. I love you all! Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed.**


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